Vaqueros throttle Criollos, lead BSN Conference A Finals 2-1

Chris McCullough dunks for two of his game-high 22 points as the Vaqueros of Bayamón defeated the Criollos of Caguas 106-83 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the BSN Conference A finals.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Vaqueros of Bayamón defeated the Criollos of Caguas 106-83 on Tuesday night at Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in the Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) Conference A Finals.

Bayamón got off to a strong start, finishing the first quarter with a 28-15 lead as Chris McCullough and Gary Browne connected from the perimeter to set the tone. The Vaqueros held the lead for 39 minutes and 14 seconds, steadily widening the gap quarter by quarter until the margin exceeded 20 points in the second half.

As a team, Bayamón shot 56.5% from the field and hit 11 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Its bench contributed 42 points compared to just 10 from the Caguas reserves. The Criollos shot 39.2% overall and converted only seven of 30 attempts from long range.

Chris McCullough led the Vaqueros with 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting an efficient 53.3% from the field. Damian Jones had 16 points and six rebounds, Isaiah Palermo scored 13 points off the bench, and Jassel Pérez and reserve Stephen Thompson Jr. added 10 points apiece. 

Jeff Early Jr. led the Criollos with 15 points, while Travis Trice scored 12 points, Moses Brown had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Gilberto Clavell scored 11 points off the bench.