Puerto Montt beat Las Animas 83 to 78 in the Chilean National Basketball League on Friday evening. The visitors broke a five-game losing run that had dragged them into a tight battle for survival, while the hosts dropped another match in a season that was already slipping away.
Puerto Montt kept their composure where it mattered. They shot 47.7 per cent from the field compared to Las Animas' 42.6, and they committed only ten turnovers against fifteen. The difference showed in the assist column too — fourteen to ten — as the away side moved the ball with more purpose.
Las Animas stayed in the game from the line. They made twenty-six of thirty free throws, a rate of 86.7 per cent, and that was enough to keep the score close despite their poorer shooting from distance. They hit six of eighteen three-point attempts, but the visitors managed only five from twenty-two.
The rebounding battle was evenly matched at 33 to 32 in Puerto Montt's favour, but the visitors pulled ahead on the offensive glass with fourteen to ten. That gave them second chances, and they converted them into the extra points they needed.
Las Animas remain second on nine wins from twelve games, but the gap to the teams behind is closing. Puerto Montt sit fifth with four wins and eight losses, and this result puts them back in the conversation for a playoff spot.