Leones, Cangrejeros go up 2-1 in their respective BSN semifinals

Back-to-back baskets in the paint by Thomas Robinson (36) put the Leones of Ponce ahead for good with less than a minute to play in their Conference B semifinal game against the Atléticos of San Germán on Tuesday night.

Ponce outlasts San Germán, Santurce rallies to beat Caguas in OT

By THE STAR STAFF

The Leones of Ponce and the Cangrejeros of Santurce both notched road victories on Tuesday night in the National Superior Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) league semifinals.

Ponce defeated the host Atléticos of San Germán 95-91 at Arquelio Torres Ramírez Coliseum to take a 2-1 lead in the Conference B series.

The Atléticos took a 91-90 lead on a free throw by George Hamilton with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Thomas Robinson responded with two consecutive baskets in the paint to put Ponce back in front, 94-91, with 59 seconds on the clock.

San Germán came up short in their final offensive opportunities with a missed shot by Hamilton and a missed three-pointer by Arguster Daniels IV. Subsequently, a foul on Ponce captain Jezreel de Jesús sent the combo guard to the free-throw line, where he made one of two attempts to set the final score at 95-91 with just six seconds left to play.

Tjader Fernández led a balanced Ponce attack with 22 points, supported by Robinson with 18 points and seven rebounds; Alejandro Vázquez scored 16 points, Jalen Crutcher had 14 points and nine assists, and Brady Manek contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.

André Curbelo recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Atléticos. Hamilton contributed 19 points, while Daniels IV finished with 13 points, and Georgie Pacheco and Nick Perkins added 12 points each.

At Roger Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, meanwhile, the Cangrejeros defeated the Criollos of Caguas 105-100 in overtime to go up 2-1 in the Conference A semifinals.

The Cangrejeros extended a narrow 46-45 halftime lead to 70-64 after three quarters, but the Criollos rallied in the fourth period, taking the lead in the closing minutes and then forcing overtime with the score tied at 86.

In overtime, Santurce executed better on both ends of the court to secure the victory and reclaim home-court advantage.

Kenneth Faried was the dominant force for the Cangrejeros, recording 17 points, 25 rebounds (including six offensive boards), four assists, two steals and two blocks -- a performance that earned him the game’s highest efficiency rating at 44.

Ian Clark and Isaiah Piñeiro each contributed 17 points for Santurce, while Ángel Rodríguez added 13 points, five assists and four rebounds, David Huertas scored 10 points and Ángel Matías chipped in with 12.

Travis Trice led the Criollos offense with 26 points and 11 assists. Louis King added 22 points and 10 rebounds, Hiram Huertas finished with 11 points and five rebounds, and Christian López Santiago contributed nine points.