BSN finals tied at a game apiece after Ponce’s late-game surge
By The Star Staff
The Ponce Leones (Lions) and Bayamón Vaqueros (Cowboys) are even heading into tonight’s Game 3 of the National Superior Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) finals after the Leones’ 90-76 come-from-behind win on Tuesday night at Juan “Pachín” Vicéns Auditorium in Ponce.
The Leones trailed at the half, 50-45, and by 10 with 3:19 left in the third quarter, but closed out the game with a torrid 33-9 run.
A deep 3-pointer by Brady Manek tied the score at 67 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter. A basket by Michael Devoe then put Ponce ahead, 69-67, to close out the period.
Jezreel de Jesús converted on a technical foul called on Javier Mojica to give the Leones a 10-point lead, 82-72, with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter, and a minute and a half later Johned Walker’s reverse layup gave Ponce its biggest lead of the night, 90-73, with 1:11 left.
De Jesús led the winners with 23 points. Devoe added 16 points, Manek had 15 and Jordan Murphy contributed 12.
Danilo Gallinari led the Vaqueros with 22 points, while Mojica finished with 13, Javale McGee had 11 with 10 rebounds, and Gary Browne added 10.
The third game tips off at 8 p.m. at Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón.
