JEREZ DE GARCÍA SALINAS, Mexico (Interstat) — Jal. Astros will visit Zacatecas on Thursday at Marcelino Gonzalez in Jerez de García Salinas, Mexico, with both teams continuing their season schedules. Jal. Astros enters with a 71-38 record, while Zacatecas is 17-15. The matchup features Jal. Astros’s Rigoberto Mendoza and Zacatecas’s Joaquin Valinotti, two players who have produced prominently in recent games.

Mendoza has been a consistent scoring and rebounding option for Jal. Astros. In his most recent game, he finished with 22 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes. He also had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes in the most recent meeting against Zacatecas. Mendoza posted 18 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes against Fuerza Regia, and he added 20 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes in another game against Fuerza Regia. He recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in 27 minutes against Gambusinos, and he had six points with 11 rebounds in 30 minutes in another game against Gambusinos.

Valinotti has been a central contributor for Zacatecas. He scored 26 points with three rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in the most recent meeting with Jal. Astros. He produced 43 points, three rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes against Diablos Rojos. Valinotti also had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes against Diablos Rojos, and he added eight points and eight assists in 28 minutes in another game against Diablos Rojos. He recorded 14 assists with seven points in 29 minutes against Santos, and he posted 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes against Lobos Plateados. Valinotti also had four points, four rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes in an earlier meeting with Jal. Astros.

Jal. Astros has won the four most recent meetings in the recent head-to-head series, including a 100-78 result and an 86-83 result. Jal. Astros’s most recent result was an 86-83 home win against Zacatecas, led by Mendoza’s 22 points. Will Yoakum added 13 points, and J. Slaughter A contributed 13 points and three rebounds. Zacatecas’s most recent result was the same 86-83 loss, with Valinotti scoring 26 points. Wesley Saunders added 18 points and five rebounds, and Angelo Cisneros had 18 points and nine rebounds. Jal. Astros’s recent results include a 100-78 home win against Zacatecas, a 79-77 home loss to Dorados, an 87-80 home win against Dorados and a 98-83 road win at Aguascalientes. Zacatecas’s recent results include a 98-78 win at Diablos Rojos, an 87-85 home win against Gambusinos and a 96-89 home loss to Gambusinos.

Interstat’s ELO system projects Zacatecas with a 54.7 percent probability to win. Jal. Astros has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5. The over/under for the game is 170.5.