Lobos Platedos saw off Santos 99 to 84 in the LNBP on Tuesday night, closing out the second leg of a quick double-header between the two sides. The visitors had already taken the opening game 95 to 86 the previous day, and this time they did not let up. And here's the thing — Santos were not out of it until the final quarter, but the gap held firm.
What struck me watching was how Lobos Platedos moved the ball. Twenty assists against Santos' eleven tells you where their attack came from. They hit fifteen three-pointers to eleven, but the real story was in the field goal percentage — thirty-six made shots out of sixty-five attempts compared to Santos' twenty-six from sixty-two. The visitors were sharper when it mattered.
We had called for the away side before kick-off, putting their chances at fifty-four percent. To be fair, the numbers backed that up. Lobos Platedos had won three of their last five, while Santos were coming off losses to the same opposition in Monterrey. The form line was clear, even if the scorelines stayed tight.
The statistics paint a picture of control rather than dominance. Lobos Platedos grabbed twenty-nine defensive rebounds to Santos' twenty-six, limiting second chances. They also recorded six steals against three, disrupting Santos' rhythm at key moments. Santos fouled twenty-nine times, which gave the visitors eighteen free throw attempts from twenty-two tries.
The result leaves Santos on the back foot after two defeats in as many days. Lobos Platedos extend their recent winning run and take a commanding position in what could be a short series. By then, the momentum will have shifted decisively — and that is often enough to close a tie before it truly begins.
