Jal. Astros vs. Culiacan
CULIACAN, Mexico (Interstat) — The Jal. Astros, owners of a dominant 66-11 record across all competitions, visit the Culiacan Caballeros on Wednesday night at Polideportivo Juan S. Millan in a Mexican CIBACOPA matchup.
The Astros (66-11) enter on a high after dismantling Culiacan 112-84 on Saturday. That win avenged a narrow 94-86 loss to the Caballeros the previous night, a defeat that stands as one of only 11 on the season for Jal. The visitors have won eight of their last 10 games overall. Culiacan (18-21) has lost six of its last nine contests, including three of its last four at home.
Wednesday’s game is the second of a back-to-back set between the teams after a 0-0 result Tuesday, which appeared to be a forfeit or postponement.
Center Makhi Mitchell is a player to watch for Jal. In Saturday’s win over Culiacan, Mitchell posted 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 27 minutes. Over his last five games, Mitchell has averaged 17.2 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Forward Johnny Hughes leads Culiacan. He matched Mitchell’s 24-point output in Saturday’s loss, adding six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. Hughes has scored at least 14 points in six of his last seven games, though the Caballeros have lost four of those.
The Astros’ recent dominance in the series is clear: Jal. has won five of the last seven meetings, including three of four games played at Culiacan. In those four road contests, the Astros averaged 98.0 points per game while holding the Caballeros to 83.0.
Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. local time.