Reducto claimed an important road victory in the Uruguay Tercera de Ascenso, defeating Auriblanco 79-74 in a game that was tight throughout and only settled in the final possessions. For Auriblanco, it is a home defeat that will sting given how close they came to protecting their own floor.

Match Overview

Auriblanco started brightly, feeding their post players and drawing fouls early to build a small cushion in the first quarter. But Reducto weathered the opening pressure and gradually imposed their preferred rhythm, moving the ball side to side and attacking the closeouts rather than settling for contested jumpers.

The second half became a tactical chess match. Auriblanco switched between man-to-man and a compact zone, while Reducto answered by hunting mismatches inside and crashing the offensive glass. The margin hovered between two and six points for the majority of the fourth quarter, leaving both benches on edge until the final minute.

Key Moments

• Second quarter – Reducto's response: Trailing by six, the visitors closed the half with a 9-2 run to take a narrow lead into the locker room and shift the psychological momentum.
• Third quarter – the defensive stand: Reducto held Auriblanco scoreless for nearly three minutes, a stretch that produced the game's most important swing.
• Final minute – ice in the veins: With the lead at three, Reducto converted four straight free throws to close out the win and silence the home crowd.

Standout Performers

Reducto's frontcourt produced the most influential performance of the night, scoring consistently in the paint and drawing enough contact to put Auriblanco's rotation in foul trouble. Their guard play was patient, limiting turnovers in the fourth quarter when the game's tempo demanded calm decision-making.

Auriblanco's effort was built around perimeter energy and a strong rebounding performance from their captain, who kept the hosts in touch with timely put-backs. What let them down was execution in the half-court during the decisive stretch: too many possessions ended in low-percentage shots with the shot clock winding down.

Standings and Season Impact

Winning away from home in the Tercera de Ascenso is one of the clearest markers of a serious promotion candidate, and Reducto can now point to a road result against direct competition. Auriblanco, meanwhile, will be frustrated to have surrendered a game they led early, particularly with the table so tightly packed.

What's Next

Auriblanco need to convert their home fixtures into wins if they are to keep pace with the leading group, while Reducto will aim to build on a performance that showed both defensive discipline and late-game maturity. The 79-74 scoreline says everything about a contest decided by small details.