Vaqueros, Gigantes pick up wins in BSN.

Bayamón’s Xavier Cooks slams home two of his 15 points during the Vaqueros’ 27-point win over the Criollos of Caguas on Tuesday night.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Vaqueros of Bayamón and the Gigantes of Carolina were victors on Tuesday night in a pair of Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) league games.

At Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, the Vaqueros defeated the Criollos of Caguas, 107-80.

The Vaqueros set the pace right from the start, closing out the first quarter with a three-pointer by Renaldo Balkman to take a 37-16 lead.

Although the Criollos attempted to rally in the second period with a 7-2 run, Bayamón contained the threat and headed into halftime with a 57-39 advantage.

The Vaqueros’ offense continued to produce in the second half as their lead grew to 87-60 entering the final 10 minutes. The advantage would end up being the margin of victory.

Jaylin Galloway led Bayamón (13-8) with 26 points. Gary Browne added 18 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, while Xavier Cooks contributed 15 points and 7 rebounds.

Moses Brown finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Criollos (10-7).

Meanwhile, at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey the Gigantes outlasted the Cangrejeros of Santurce, 82-80.

The game featured seven lead changes in the first quarter, which ended 22-11 in favor of the Gigantes.

The Cangrejeros answered in the second period with an 8-0 run to quickly narrow the gap, and a basket by Davon Jefferson tied the game at 24 with 5:45 remaining in the first half.

Santurce outscored Carolina in the second quarter, 25-16, but the Gigantes went into halftime holding a slim 39-36 lead.

In the second half, the game remained tight, with the Cangrejeros still leading by three points, 61-58, going into the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, the Gigantes executed better in the decisive moments. A technical foul on Santurce’s Ángel Rodríguez allowed Isaac Sosa to extend the lead from the free-throw line, and subsequently, Jaylen Nowell added another free throw with 7.1 seconds remaining for what would be the final score.

Nowell led five Gigantes in double figures with 25 points as Carolina improved to 10-7.

Davon Jefferson had 24  points and 15 rebounds, and Rodríguez scored 21 points for the Cangrejeros (6-12).