Leones Quilpué defeated Puente Alto 87-75 in the LNB on Wednesday night, a result that keeps both sides in the upper reaches of the table. The visitors took control early and never looked back, pushing their way into second place with the win. By then, the gap had widened enough to silence any comeback hopes from the hosts.
And here's the thing about this one — we called it beforehand. Our prediction put Leones Quilpué at 51 per cent confidence for an away victory, and the game played out exactly as anticipated. They didn't need to do anything flashy, just execute when it mattered most.
Leones Quilpué shot better from the field, converting 29 of 68 attempts compared to Puente Alto's 28 from 71. The visitors also made more of their free throws, landing 18 of 20 attempts while the hosts managed only seven from 12. That efficiency at the line proved decisive in a close contest.
Puente Alto relied more heavily on three-point shooting, hitting 12 of 38 attempts against 11 from 24 for Leones Quilpué. The visitors were cleaner with the ball too, committing just 12 turnovers to the hosts' 17. Those extra possessions made the difference over the final quarter.
Rebounding favoured the away side, who pulled down 43 boards to 39. Leones Quilpué also recorded 12 steals to eight, disrupting Puente Alto's rhythm whenever they tried to build momentum. To be fair, the hosts didn't travel to make up the numbers, but this wasn't a night where effort alone would suffice.
The result leaves Puente Alto second on 18 points from 12 games, while Leones Quilpué move up to third with 16 points. Both sides have played the same number of matches, so the race continues tight at the top. A straight knockout format would test whether either side can sustain this level under pressure.
