Gigantes defeat Leonas 66-60 in BSNF
By THE STAR STAFF
The Gigantes of Carolina celebrated their home opener on Saturday night by retiring former player Rodsan Rodríguez’s number 44 jersey and securing a 66-60 victory over the Leonas of Ponce in a Women’s Superior National Basketball (BSNF by its initials in Spanish) league game at Guillermo Ángulo Coliseum in Carolina.
Import player Joyner Holmes sealed the scoring for the Gigantes with 3:03 remaining and then delivered a crucial block with 1:11 left, thwarting a play by Ponce that could have led to a different outcome.
After the teams took turns dominating the first two quarters and stood even at 32 at halftime, the faster-paced second half was filled with back-and-forth scoring and lead changes. The Gigantes led 53-52 after three periods, and the back-and-forth battle continued, with Carolina holding on to its slim lead Ponce’s Ariel Colón scored five unanswered points to put the Leonas up 60-57, forcing coach Gigantes coach Jorgito Rincón to call a timeout.
A field goal by Alexis Whitfield and a three-pointer by Talia Von Oelhoffen coming out of the timeout put Carolina back in front, 62-60, with 4:40 left to play. Shortly thereafter, Holmes stepped up with key plays on both offense and defense, ultimately securing a 66-60 victory for Carolina.
Holmes led the Gigantes (1-1) with 22 points and nine rebounds, Grace Berger had 13 points and nine assists, and Whitfield recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Von Oelhoffen led the Leones (1-2) with 16 points, Colón finished with 15 points and Brittany Brewer had 12 points and nine rebounds.
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