The Titanes del Sur tightened their defense in the last quarter to beat the Cañeros del Este 82-67 in the fight to obtain the last available ticket for the semifinal of the LNB Super League.
The Titans, who increased their record to 12-13, got 21 points from Diego Colón, who shot 50 percent from the field (6/12), including 4/10 on three-pointers. They also had 11 points from Luis David Montero, who added 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
Richard Bautista recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists
The Cañeros, who saw their record drop to 12-13, had their best scorer in Yeison Colomé with 20 points and 4 rebounds, followed by Marvin Smith Jr. with 19 points. Reymond Bastardo added 14 points and 8 sacks.
The Titans made their presence felt in the last quarter with the contribution of Shaun Williams, who was in charge of limiting Colomé defensively and also scored two triples that extended the blues’ lead to 10 points (71-61), with 6:16 left. That difference was decisive for those from San Cristóbal to secure the victory, despite the Romanians’ attempts to react.
The Titans took a 19-16 lead in the first quarter. However, a basket by Demarquis Bost, with 5:09 remaining in the second period, turned the score in favor of the Cañeros 26-25.
Colón put on a show from the three-point arc, with three triples that returned the lead to the sky blue 39-35, with 2:04 left to play. But the Romanians recovered and took control again, 40-39, with a basket from Colomé with 40 seconds left before halftime.
The hard-fought offense in the first half was led by Smith Jr., with 12 points and 3 rebounds, followed by Colomé, with 10 points, and Bastardo, with 6 points and 4 boards. For the Titans, Colón registered 17 points, supported by Aska, with 10 points and 4 rebounds, and Montero, with 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
The match remained close throughout the third quarter, but the Cañeros managed to end the period with a minimal lead of 59-58, after a basket by Bastardo with 1:09 remaining.
This Sunday’s day
The Titanes del Sur will visit the Cañeros del Este, at 5:30 in the afternoon, at the Eleoncio Mercedes sports center in La Romana, and the Gigantes Basketball Club will play as home team against the Metros de Santiago, at 6:00 in the afternoon, at the Mario Ortega sports center.
