LA VEGA.- The offense of Malachi Richardson and the defense of Corey Sanders Jr. led the Reales de La Vega to a tight 89-83 victory over the Titanes del Sur in the continuation of the LNB Super League elimination phase.
Richardson, who scored 35 points, shot 75 percent from the field (12/16), including 4 three-pointers in 5 attempts, and 70 percent from the free-throw line (7/10) to record a 35-point night as the Royals increased their record to 10-9. The Titans drop their mark to 8-11.
For the Veganos, Ramón Galloway finished with 19 points; Rey Abad stood out with 12 units and 5 rebounds, while the debutant Sanders Jr., who shone with his defense, scored 10 points and dished out 7 assists.
For Titanes, Xavier Reyes closed with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists; Ivan Aska added 13 units and 5 rebounds. Shaun Williams 13 points and Richard Bautista, 10 points, 3 boards and 5 assists.
With 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Sanders Jr. blocked Williams and completed the play with a dunk. Subsequently, Richard Bautista lost the opportunity to close the score when he missed a three-point attempt.
Richardson scored 12 points in the first quarter to lead the start for the Reales, who dominated the scoreboard 28-23 at the end of the first 10 minutes of action.
In the second period, the Titans reacted after being down by 12 points (40-28) and, supported by a better defense, began to narrow the gap. A powerful dunk by Ivan Aska brought the visitors within 43-39 with 2:55 left to play, before closing the first half with a deficit of just 3 (46-43).
The Royals’ offense in the first half was led by Richardson, who totaled 18 points. Also standing out were Rey Abad, with nine points and five rebounds, and Galloway, who added another nine units. On their side, the Titans relied on 11 points and 3 rebounds from Aska, followed by Xavier Reyes, who contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds.
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Appealing to the same defensive intensity with which they finished the second half, the San Cristóbal team turned the score around (51-49) after a three-pointer by Jonathan Araújo, when the clock showed 6:55 of play. From there, there was an exchange of baskets that caused several lead changes, until Reyes hit a three-pointer that put the Titanes ahead by 3 (67-64), with 49 seconds remaining to conclude the period.
The Royals started the fourth quarter with a very different attitude than the third, and with a three-pointer by Galloway they pulled ahead by 7 (84-77), with 2:33 remaining, but a big shot by Romeao Ferguson brought the visitors within 3 (86-83), with 1:18 left.
Sunday’s schedule
The Moca Heroes will host the Santiago Metros at the Moca 85 sports center at 5:00 p.m. Also, the Gigantes Basketball Club will visit the Titanes del Sur at the San Cristobal sports center at 5:30 p.m., and the Cañeros del Este will play against the Reales de La Vega at the Eleoncio Mercedes at 6:00 p.m.
