Mineros de Zacatecas escaped with a 101-100 road victory over Fuerza Regia on Wednesday in Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional action, surviving a frantic final possession to hand the Monterrey side one of the most painful one-point defeats of the campaign. In a game that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties, the visitors made just enough plays down the stretch to leave with a result that could carry real weight when the LNBP playoff picture comes into focus.

Match Overview

Played at Fuerza Regia's home court in Monterrey, the contest was everything a late-season meeting between two of Mexican basketball's most recognizable programs should be: fast, physical, and decided in the last few seconds. Zacatecas opened with intent, pushing the tempo early and knocking down outside shots, while Fuerza Regia answered with a more methodical half-court attack built around interior touches and second-chance points.

Neither team led by more than eight points at any stage, and the final period turned into a genuine possession-by-possession duel. The home crowd was loud throughout, but Mineros handled the pressure like a roster that has grown used to tight road games.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

• First quarter: Mineros 27, Fuerza Regia 24 — Zacatecas set the tone from beyond the arc.
• Second quarter: Fuerza Regia 26, Mineros 22 — Monterrey's bench sparks a run and briefly takes control.
• Third quarter: Mineros 27, Fuerza Regia 25 — the visitors reclaim the momentum with transition baskets.
• Fourth quarter: 25-25 — a dead-even finish decided by a single free throw and one missed look.
• Final: Mineros de Zacatecas 101, Fuerza Regia 100.

Key Moments

The game's decisive stretch came inside the final three minutes. Trailing by four, Fuerza Regia strung together a quick 6-0 burst — a corner three followed by a transition layup — to take a one-point edge and send the building into a frenzy. Zacatecas responded with composure rather than panic, working the ball inside and drawing a foul to retake the lead at 101-100 with under 15 seconds remaining.

Fuerza Regia had one last chance. The home side ran a high screen-and-roll, got the switch it wanted, and produced a clean look from mid-range — but the shot rimmed out, and the rebound bounced long as the buzzer sounded. It was that close: a single made free throw and a single missed jumper separating the two teams.

Tactical Story

The contrast in styles made the game compelling. Mineros de Zacatecas played with pace, hunting early offense and spacing the floor with four shooters around a mobile big man. That approach generated open looks in the first and third quarters and forced Fuerza Regia's defense to stretch further than it wanted to.

Fuerza Regia, by contrast, leaned on its size. Monterrey attacked the offensive glass aggressively, converted second-chance opportunities, and slowed the game down in the second quarter to erase the early deficit. The problem was consistency — every time the home side built a small cushion, Zacatecas answered with a quick burst of perimeter scoring.

Turnovers told a similar story. Fuerza Regia's live-ball giveaways fed the Mineros transition game, and in a one-point game, those extra possessions were the difference. Zacatecas also shot better from the free-throw line in the closing minutes, which is exactly the margin that decides games like this.

Standout Performers

• Mineros de Zacatecas backcourt: The guards controlled tempo all night, consistently beating the first line of defense and finding shooters on the kick-out.
• Zacatecas interior presence: Physical on the boards and reliable at the line in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead free throw.
• Fuerza Regia's wing scorers: Carried the offense during the second-quarter run and kept Monterrey within striking distance late.
• Monterrey's bench: Provided energy and scoring punch that briefly flipped the game's momentum before halftime.

Standings and Season Impact

A one-point road win in Monterrey is among the more valuable results available in the LNBP regular season. For Mineros de Zacatecas, it strengthens their position in the playoff race and adds a quality road scalp to the résumé — the kind of result that matters if tiebreakers come into play. It also extends a positive run of form and reinforces the team's confidence in close games.

For Fuerza Regia, the loss stings precisely because so much went right. Monterrey won long stretches of the game, controlled the paint, and had a shot to win at the death. Dropping a home fixture by a single point in a league where h