MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – Real Estelí took advantage of their home cooking in the first slate of BCL Americas Group A, dominating Paisas, 79-70, Saturday night at Polideportivo Alexis Argüello. They had defeated Toros del Valle on Thursday.
Turning point
The Nicaraguan giants took control of the game early and never surrendered it, but it wasn’t until the second quarter (22-12) that they broke the game open, heading into halftime up by 42-29. Paisas battled throughout the game and showed a higher level of intensity compared to their debut, but for the second consecutive day they looked erratic from the field. Jezreel De Jesús buried their chances with a bucket to extend the lead to 16 points (77-61) with 2:11 to go.
Player of the game
Mexican forward Gabriel Girón led the way with 20 points on 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Jared Ruiz added 17 points (8-for-15 from the field) with 8 rebounds and a pair of steals. De Jesús had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
For Paisas, Americans Glenn Cosey (20 points and 5 assists), Mascio McCadney (16) and Eric Crawford (14) did the heavy lifting on offense, while Dominican center Eloy Vargas pulled down 17 rebounds.
Stats don’t lie
Real Estelí did most of their damage near the rim. They shot 51 percent on 2-pointers (22-for-43) and won points in the paint 40-30. Paisas led in key categories like rebounds (52-42), transition points (19-9) and second-chance points (18-6), but couldn’t get it going offensively and shot 31 percent (24-for-78) from the field.
Bottom line
With this win, Real Estelí sits atop Group A and remain the clear favorite to win the zone. Meanwhile, the squad from Medellin is in last place after a pair of losses. In the next stage, to be played in late January and early February, they will need to start picking up wins to stay in the competition.
FIBA