Another triple-double by García; Mariners defeat Lions

PUERTO PLATA.- Another game, another triple-double for Andersson García in the LNB Super League. The NBA experienced forward was the spearhead for the Marineros de Puerto Plata to come back and beat the Leones de Santo Domingo 95-89, at the Fabio Rafael González sports complex.

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García was on top form by achieving 21 units, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, thus achieving his third consecutive triple-double, something that no other player had achieved in the 20 seasons of LNB history. He also stole 4 balls, shot 7-13 from the field and 7-11 from the free throw line, helping the Mariners recover from a 14-point deficit and even their record to 4-4. Emmanuel Omogbo contributed 19 units and 9 rebounds for the Puerto Plata team, whose standouts also included Luis Feliz with 13 units and Luis Feliz with 12. For the Leones (2-7), Reggie Quezada scored 31 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Gerardo Suero contributed 16 in scoring and Romaine Thomas 14 with 4 steals. The Mariners’ superiority in the third quarter was clear, thanks to the counterattack game led by García. With 5:05 left, Omogbo scored two to give the hosts a 57-55 lead. With 1:12 remaining, Junior Martínez hit a three-pointer and the game became 66-58. The scoreboard showed 66-60 after three periods. The Mariners kept up the momentum in the fourth quarter and when Feliz scored two points near the hoop with 5:45 left, the score was 80-69. With 2:55 remaining, Omogbo scored a three-pointer from the left side that put Daniel Maffei’s team ahead 87-77, and they never looked back for the rest of the way. From the second to the last quarter, the difference in favor of the Mariners was 81-61 and much of the success was thanks to the work of Garcia on both sides of the court. In the second half alone, Andersson dished out 9 assists. A 12-0 rally led by Quezada helped the Lions win the first half with a score of 28-14. Quezada scored 9 units and shot 4-for-5 from the field, followed by 8 points from Thomas. García scored 4 points for the Mariners, who lost 6 balls. For a large part of the second half, the Lions were up by double digits, until the Mariners cut the lead. A steal and a basket by Garcia made the score 39-45 with 1:08 left. With 0:04, Carela also scored a basket and the first half ended 49-44 in favor of the visitors. Quezada scored 17 units, including 3 three-pointers, in the first 20 minutes of action for the Lions, who also had 11 points from Thomas and 9 from Richardson. García led the Mariners with 15 points and 8 rebounds, followed by 6 points and 4 boards from Omogbo. The partials concluded 14-28, 30-21, 22-11 and 29-29 for the Mariners.

This Wednesday’s Games

The Santiago Metros host the Gigantes Basketball Club, starting at 8:00 PM, at the Gran Arena Oscar Gobaira, and the Reales de La Vega will visit the Titanes del Sur at the Polideportivo de San Cristóbal, starting at 8:30 PM.