With 26 points from Richard Bautista and 21 from Jordan Williams, the Titanes del Distrito Nacional defeated the Marineros de Puerto Plata 105-93 in San Cristóbal, increasing their winning streak to five in the 2022 tournament of the National Basketball League (LNB) .
Bautista shot 10-for-18 from the field, dished out 9 assists and 3 steals, while Williams also had 9 rebounds and shot 7-for-19. Keith Jordan Jr. finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds, while AJ Bramah added 11 off the bench for the Titans (6-4), whose winning streak is the longest so far in the event.
For the Mariners (5-5), who have lost two in a row, Bernardo Polanco led the scoring with 22 points, followed by 19 from Trahson Burrell, 13 from Corey Sanders and 12 with 11 rebounds from Carlton Bragg Jr.
The Titans shot 51 percent from the field to the Mariners’ 48 percent. They led 44-41 rebounds, 17-10 assists, 30-17 points from lost balls and 27-7 scoring off the bench.
The dominance built in the first three quarters made it easier for the Titans in the last quarter, where they took the lead by 15 (95-80) with 4:06, after a basket by Henry Valdez near the rim. The Hurricanes could never recover.
“You are seeing the intensity. We’re aggressive on the court,” Bautista told the Titans’ official broadcast.
MJ Rhett and Bragg Jr. helped the Mariners build an early 12-2 lead with 7:28 left in the first quarter, but the Titans rallied and Williams’ 3-pointer put them ahead 19-16 with 2:55 remaining. The light blue advantage was 4 (23-19) after the first 10 minutes.
With 3:36 left in the second quarter, Bautista hit a layup that gave the locals a 38-31 difference. The people of Puerto Plata reacted and got closer, but a triple by José “Tongo” Corporán with 0:06 seconds left the first half 43-39.
Williams (13 points), Bramah (6), Jordan Jr. (6) and Bautista (5) were the top scorers for the Titans in the first 20 minutes. Burrell (16), Bragg Jr. (6) and Polanco (6) led the Mariners.
A large part of the third quarter was with the score closed, until Bramah took off for 9 (71-62) to the Titans with a dunk that he made with 1:36. The board marked 74-65 after three periods of action.
The quarters ended 23-19, 20-20, 31-26 and 31-28 for the Titans.
games this wednesday
The Reales de La Vega (4-5) and the Soles de Santo Domingo Este (5-4) will face each other at 7:00 p.m. at the Simón Orozco de Invivienda, while at 8:00 p.m. the Cañeros del Este (3-6) will visit the San Francisco de Macoris Indians (4-5) at the Mario Ortega.
