SAN GERMÁN, Puerto Rico (Interstat) — The San German Atleticos will host the Aguada Santeros on Thursday at Arquelio Torres Ramirez Coliseum in a critical BSN matchup, with the home side seeking to extend its hold on a top-tier position while the visitors aim to climb above .500.

San German enters the contest with a 13-7 record across all competitions, sitting comfortably in the upper half of the standings. Aguada, at 9-10, is hovering near the break-even mark after a difficult stretch that has seen it lose five of its last six games.

The teams have split their two previous meetings this season. Aguada won 84-81 on April 29 at home, but San German responded with an 81-76 victory on May 6 — also in Aguada.

Aguada’s offense will rely heavily on guard Rigoberto Mendoza De La Rosa, who is averaging 19.4 points over his last eight games. Mendoza scored 26 points with six rebounds and five assists in a 108-93 loss to Santurce on May 23, and had 25 points and nine rebounds against San German on May 6. He also recorded 19 points and seven rebounds in the April 29 win over the Atleticos.

San German will counter with point guard Andre Curbelo, who posted a triple-double — 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists — in an 84-68 victory at Ponce on May 22. Curbelo had 13 points and seven assists in the May 6 win over Aguada and scored 24 points in the April 29 loss.

The Atleticos also feature forward Montrezl Harrell, who recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds against Ponce, and center Nick Perkins, who added 17 points and seven rebounds in that victory.

Aguada’s other productive players include forward Noah Horchler, who had 20 points and eight rebounds against Santurce, and swingman Manny Camper, who contributed nine points, six rebounds and four assists in that same game.

Thursday’s game is the first of three scheduled meetings between the teams over the next two weeks. They will play again June 3 in San German.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. AST.