The Mustangs trailed by fourteen points in the second quarter and won anyway, beating the Pythons 73-68 on Friday night in Stevenage after a 12-0 run turned the Open Division game on its head.
Bejhay Vinoya scored thirty two points for the Mustangs and Wesley Moore added twenty five, fifty seven between them out of seventy three. The Pythons led for most of the first half, lost the lead early in the third and never got it back, although they cut a nine point deficit to three in the final minute.
How It Happened
First quarter, Pythons 19-12. The Mustangs started the better, Dwaine Patiak scoring the first two baskets and Vinoya a third for 0-6. Aice Jacob Marcelino and Opeoluwa Afolabi answered inside, Troy Bustamante hit a three, and from 7-10 the Pythons scored ten without reply, two threes from Eric Arriaga either side of a Marcelino basket, to lead 17-10. Zeo Pena scored for the Mustangs but Bustamante had the last word of the quarter.
Second quarter, Mustangs 16-10. Arriaga scored six of the first eight points and Afolabi's three made it 27-14, the Pythons fourteen clear and their biggest lead of the night. Then the quarter turned completely. From 28-14 the Mustangs scored twelve in a row, Vinoya with three baskets and a free throw and Moore with a three and two more, to come within two at 28-26. Marc Ayson scored a free throw and Moore closed the half at 29-28.
Third quarter, Mustangs 21-14. Vinoya's basket to open the period put the Mustangs in front for the first time since the opening minutes. The lead changed hands five times, Bustamante scoring seven in the quarter and Arriaga adding a basket for 38-35, before Moore hit a three for 41-44 and Vinoya scored five of the last seven points. The Mustangs took a 43-49 lead into the fourth.
Fourth quarter, Pythons 25-24. The Pythons kept coming and could not quite close it. Ahmed Omar hit a three for 48-51 and Arriaga another for 51-54, but each time the Mustangs answered, Moore and Coquilla pushing it out to 51-58. Bernard Castro, Omar and Bustamante brought it back to 59-63, Vinoya scored six of the next eight to make it 63-71, and Arriaga's three with the game nearly gone cut it to 68-71. Pena made two free throws to finish it.
Leaders
Mustangs: Bejhay Vinoya 32 points (6 rebounds), Wesley Moore 25 (three threes, 10 rebounds, 4 steals), Zeo Pena 7 (9 rebounds), Dwaine Patiak 4, Coquilla 3, Ryann Lonzanida 2. Six Mustangs scored.
Pythons: Troy Bustamante 23 points (three threes, 8 rebounds), Eric Arriaga 23 (four threes, 6 assists), Opeoluwa Afolabi 8 (one three), Aice Jacob Marcelino 6, Ahmed Omar 5 (one three, 8 rebounds), Bernard Castro 2, Marc Ayson 1. Seven Pythons scored.
Notes
- Eight lead changes and three ties. The Pythons led by as many as fourteen, the Mustangs by as many as eight.
- The 12-0 run from 28-14 to 28-26 in the second quarter was the game. The Pythons went nearly six minutes of game time without a field goal inside it.
- Vinoya and Moore scored fifty seven of the Mustangs' seventy three points.
- Both teams' leading scorers finished level on twenty three for the Pythons, Bustamante and Arriaga.
- Fouls: Pythons 12, Mustangs 8.
Up Next
The Pythons face New Elite on Friday 23 October at 8:45 PM. The Mustangs play the Stevenage Ballers on Friday 30 October at 7:30 PM. Full box score on the game stats page, standings on the results page.