Halcones de Xalapa get first win in Group A action

PUERTO LA CRUZ (Venezuela) – Halcones de Xalapa not only tallied their first win, but also handed Real Esteli a second-straight loss as they claimed a 104-79 victory in Basketball Champions League Americas action on Sunday night at Gimnasio Luis Ramos.

Wasting no time, Halcones jumped out to a 33-22 lead after one quarter as Gabriel Giron tallied 10 first quarter points while Jordan Glynn added another 9 while Tjader Fernandez facilitated the play notching 3 assists.

The lead changed 6 times as Ismael Romero had another strong start notching 8 points for Esteli, who shot 61.5 percent from two-point range in the quarter, but 6 turnovers allowed Halcones to take 7 points while their bench added just two points compared to 10 from the bench of Halcones.

By the half Halcones extended their lead to 15 as Alexis Elsener added 8 points bringing his first half tally to 14, while Rasid Mahalbasic added 8 points in the quarter. Esteli tried to control the game on the fast break as they managed to find the rim that way, but their depth continued to lack production compared to Halcones while also committing unnecessary turnovers.

Halcones also played stealthy defense, grabbing 8 steals by the half while also turning the ball over just 5 times, though Romero still managed to add another 8 points on offense for Esteli despite their opponent’s tough defensive showing.

Terrell Holloway continued to push for Esteli alongside Romero, as Holloway added 7 assists along with 14 points as a playmaker through three quarters with Emmitt Williams controlling the boards.

But Halcones held a double-digit lead through three quarters with Elsener, Mahalbasic, giron and Davon Jefferson all continuing to keep Halcones hot from mid-range as they shot 56 percent as a team from two-point range.

The difference continued to be the bench rotation as Esteli’s bench put up a mere 5 points through three quarters despite Esteli holding a major advantage in transition. Both teams were strong on the boards, splitting the boards and even 28-28 through three quarters.

In the fourth quarter Halcones wanted to prove their worth in BCLA and did just that with a 32-point showing, breaking the century mark to lead by 25 points and secure the win. Fernandez erupted for 15 points in the quarter for Halcones while Adonys Henriquez added 11 points for Esteli, but with Halcones’ full rotation helping on the floor, Esteli could not close the gap.

Elsener led Halcones with 20 points including going 8-of-10 from field goal range as well as tallying 4 steals, while Fernandez added 17 points and 4 assists and Glynn tallied a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Romero led all scorers with 25 points going 11-of-15 from the floor while also adding 8 rebounds, while Henriquez added 19 points. Holloway added a 16-point, 10 assist double-double while Williams added an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

FIBA