Independiente Neuquen Women — El Bigua Women: 68:63, Liga Femenina

Independiente Neuquen Women beat El Bigua Women 68-63 in the Liga Femenina on Saturday night. The home side kept their nerve through a match decided by moments rather than sustained dominance. It was a result we had called for earlier, and if you look at the way the game unfolded, the reasoning held up.

Neuquen's edge came from three-point shooting. They made nine from thirty-one attempts while El Bigua managed just four from twenty-three. That difference mattered when the game tightened. By then the visitors had turned to the free-throw line instead, hitting twenty-one of thirty attempts, but it wasn't enough to bridge the gap.

What struck me was how Neuquen stayed in the game through defensive effort. They recorded seventeen steals compared to El Bigua's fourteen, and forced twenty-four turnovers from their opponents. The visitors had more offensive rebounds — twelve to nine — which kept them alive in possessions, but the turnovers told a different story.

The statistics show a match where chances were created but not always taken. El Bigua had more field goal attempts overall, sixty-eight to sixty-three, but converted fewer. Neuquen's efficiency from beyond the arc was the turning point. And here's the thing about basketball — one quarter doesn't decide a game, but shooting patterns do.

Both sides enter their records with five and four wins respectively after sixteen games. The gap between seventh and eighth place is narrow, and this result keeps things interesting for both squads. El Bigua will have to find a way to protect the ball better next time.