SAN GERMÁN, Puerto Rico (Interstat) — Tjader Fernandez scored 18 points and dished five assists as the Ponce Leones defeated the San German Atleticos 98-92 on Thursday night at Arquelio Torres Ramirez Coliseum. Ponce improved to 18-22 while San German fell to 19-16.

Ponce overcame a sluggish second quarter, scoring just 10 points to trail 43-35 at halftime. The Leones erupted for 33 points in the third quarter and added 30 in the fourth to secure the win. Jezreel De Jesus led all scorers with 25 points for Ponce, while Brady Manek added 15 points and eight rebounds. Thomas Robinson chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

For San German, Nick Perkins scored 25 points and pulled down six rebounds. Andre Curbelo posted 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Alex Hamilton had 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Defeating San German for the second time in five days, Ponce also got 12 points and nine assists from Jalen Crutcher.