GUADALAJARA (Interstat) — Jal. Astros will host Zacatecas on Sunday at Unidad Deportiva Avila Camacho in Guadalajara, Mexico, bringing together a home team with a substantial record advantage and a visiting side looking to build on its latest result. Jal. Astros enters at 89-40, while Zacatecas is 17-13.

Zacatecas most recently defeated Diablos Rojos 98-78, a game in which Joaquin Valinotti scored 43 points to go with three rebounds, five assists and one block. Tavario Miller added 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Angelo Cisneros contributed 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Valinotti is the player to watch for Zacatecas. In another recent outing, he recorded 14 assists in a 96-75 win over Santos and also had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists against Lobos Plateados. He had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in another game against Diablos Rojos, and he produced eight points and eight assists in a loss to Diablos Rojos. Valinotti also had eight assists in a loss to Santos and seven assists in a win over Abejas. Zacatecas also has recent wins over Gambusinos 87-85, at Lobos Plateados 84-81, and it beat Fuerza Regia 101-100.

Jal. Astros most recently beat Gambusinos 86-71. Rigoberto Mendoza is the player to watch for Jal. Astros. In that game, he finished with six points, 11 rebounds and two assists. In his previous game, Mendoza posted 11 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and one block. He also scored 18 points with five rebounds and three assists in a 101-87 win over Fuerza Regia, then followed with 20 points, eight rebounds and one assist in a 74-77 loss to Fuerza Regia. Jal. Astros also has recent wins over Dorados 87-80, at Aguascalientes 98-83, over Lobos Plateados 73-64 and at Gambusinos 88-80.

The most recent head-to-head meetings have favored Jal. Astros, which won 97-83 and 78-66 against Zacatecas. Jal. Astros will aim to carry its strong season record into the home matchup, while Zacatecas will look to Valinotti and its supporting scorers to challenge the home side at Unidad Deportiva Avila Camacho. Zacatecas scored 98 points in the win over Diablos Rojos and will face a Jal. Astros team that has posted 89 wins this season.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Jal. Astros 81, Zacatecas 76.