Bayamón, Santurce, Caguas earn come-from-behind wins in BSN

Travis Trice (13) had 14 points and eight assists as the Criollos rallied in the second half to top the Santeros and win their fourth straight at home.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Vaqueros of Bayamón, Cangrejeros of Santurce and Criollos of Caguas notched victories in the Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) league on Saturday night.

At Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu Coliseum in Manatí, the visiting Vaqueros defeated the Osos, 98-95, after trailing for much of the game.

Down 77-67 to open the fourth quarter, Bayamón stayed within range and rallied in the final minutes for the comeback road victory.

Jae Crowder led the Vaqueros (16-9) with 25 points and five rebounds. Khary Maurás added 20 points, Gary Browne contributed 18 points and nine assists, and Jordan Cintrón finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Kristian Doolittle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Osos (8-15). Jameer Nelson Jr. added 21 points, while Cheick Diallo made his debut with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

At Arquelio Torres Ramírez Coliseum San Germán, meanwhile, the Cangrejeros defeated the host Atléticos, 95-92.

San Germán dominated the start of the game, building a lead of up to 14 points in the first quarter, fueled by the scoring of André Curbelo.

However, the Cangrejeros rallied in the second frame and the teams went into intermission with the score tied at 38.

Santurce took control in the third quarter (27-19) and led 65-57 entering the final period.

In a high-pitched fourth quarter that featured the ejection of Atléticos head coach Eddie Casiano and his assistant, Manolo Cintrón, the hosts responded, cutting a 12-point deficit down to just one point in the final seconds. However, Santurce executed better from the free-throw line to secure the victory.

Davon Jefferson led the Cangrejeros (11-12) with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Walter Hodge added 18 points, Jordan Howard contributed 17, and Isaiah Piñeiro finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Curbelo scored 25 points for the Atléticos (15-9), Nick Perkins had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Montrezl Harrell contributed 19 points and 18 rebounds.

At Roger Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, the host Criollos trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter but came back to thump the Santeros of Aguada, 99-83.

Aguada led 45-39 at halftime, but the Criollos rallied after the break to tie the game in the third quarter, taking a 71-66 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Caguas (15-8) continued to widen the gap in the fourth quarter, eventually leading by 14 points down the stretch to secure its fourth consecutive victory at home.

Moses Brown led the Criollos’ offense with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Christian “Cuco” López added 22 points -- including five three-pointers -- while Travis Trice contributed 14 points and eight assists.

Jacob Wiley finished with 19 points and nine rebounds for the Santeros (11-11). Matthew Lee added 19 points and John Jenkins contributed 17.