CIBACOPA preview: Dominant Jal. Astros visit Culiacan Caballeros on Friday

CULIACAN, Mexico (Interstat) — The Jal. Astros, owners of the best record in the Mexican CIBACOPA, face the Culiacan Caballeros on Friday at Polideportivo Juan S. Millan in a matchup of teams heading in opposite directions.

Jal. (68-11) has won 10 of its last 11 games and enters on a two-game winning streak, both victories coming on the road at Culiacan earlier this week. The Astros defeated the Caballeros 95-87 on Wednesday and 94-80 on Tuesday, pushing their season series lead to 6-2.

Culiacan (18-23) has lost four of its last five and sits well below .500. The Caballeros managed one win in the recent head-to-head series, a 94-86 victory at Jal. on May 22.

Forward Tyran de Lattibeaudiere has been the catalyst for the Astros. In two games at Culiacan this week, he averaged 22.5 points and 8 rebounds. Over his last 10 games, the forward has scored at least 10 points in every contest, including a streak of four consecutive 20-point performances against the Caballeros from May 22-27.

For Culiacan, forward Tre’Darius McCallum has been the primary offensive threat. He recorded a double-double in Wednesday’s loss with 17 points and 12 rebounds, plus two assists and one block. McCallum also scored 27 points in the Caballeros’ lone win over Jal. on May 22.

Jal. has been particularly dominant on the road, where it is 34-5 this season. The Astros’ offense averages 98.2 points per game, second in the league, while their defense allows just 79.4.

Culiacan counters with a balanced attack. In Wednesday’s loss, Torren Jones scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, and Johnny Hughes added 20 points off the bench.

The Caballeros will need to contain de Lattibeaudiere and the Astros’ frontcourt early. In the teams’ last meeting, Jal. built a 15-point halftime lead and never trailed in the second half.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time.