:format(jpeg):focal(810x174:820x164)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gfrmedia/2VUKD5AWCRA3DM6QZN6BSKZO34.jpeg "The lion roars: Ponce achieves its first victory of the tournament in Carlos Rivera’s debut as leader")
Ponce – Jezreel de Jesus scored 17 points and the Lions They achieved their first victory of the 2024 season on Thursday. National Superior Basketball (BSN), 86-67, on the downcast Manatee Bears in the Juan “Pachin” Vicens Auditorium.
It was a successful debut for former player Carlos Rivera in his first game in charge of the Lions as a property manager.
Rivera replaced Argentine Sergio Hernandez, who left the long-haired squad after two heavy defeats at the start of the competition. Ponce lost its third straight match against the Criollos de Caguas last Sunday with Carlos Morales on the line on an interim basis.
On Thursday, the Lions reacted under the new Rivera era, handing the Bears their fifth consecutive loss, tied for last place in Section B with the Carolina Giants, both at 2-5.
De Jesus scored 10 of the Lions’ 15 points to win the first quarter, 15-13. Ponce took advantage of their good momentum and won by up to 14 to take the first half, 37-23.
The Bears, uneasy on the bench after receiving two technical fouls, were able to reduce the deficit to six points, 54-48, with a basket by Alex Morales. The Lions stopped the bleeding and took a double-digit lead again, 59-48, with four points from Luis Lopez.
Ponce escaped in the last quarter with 27 points, up by up to 22 points.
For the Lions, Lopez and Jared Ruiz both scored 13 points. Import Jamil Wilson made his debut with four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
For the Bears, Alex Morales led with 23 points off the bench. Isaac Sosa scored 19 and Chris Ortiz scored 11 in a losing cause.
During the fourth period, import Sheldon Mac left the action with an apparent hand injury. Manati has been without the services of center Tyler Davis for four games, suffering from a knee injury.
In other results, the Guaynabo Mets extended their winning streak to six by beating the Santeros de Aguada 72-71. In Quebradillas, the Pirates rebounded from a loss on Wednesday in San German to beat the Indios de Mayaguez 85-81.
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