Point-guard Richard Guiseppi scored 19 points in a commanding performance for Diego Martin All Stars, leading the club to an exciting 82-76 win over Caledonia Clippers when competition in the Men's Division of the Mackeson Super 10 Basketball League continued on Sunday night at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Mucurapo.
Smarting from three defeats in its last four outings, Diego Martin outscored Caledonia 31-18 in the last quarter after trailing, 36-49, at half-time. It was the same all-round team effort in the final session of play that guaranteed the 2007 Big-Four finalist its third win in eight matches.
Guiseppi got decent support from Sheldon Laidlow and point-guard Sadiki Guerra, who scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, as they helped end their opponents six-game winning streak.
For Caledonia, which defeated Detour Shak Attack on Thursday, forward Wesley Vincent top-scored with 21 points, while Shawn Lawrence netted 16. Despite the loss, Clippers remains atop the 13-teams standings with 16 points from seven wins after nine matches.
Meanwhile, the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) moved into second place (13 points) following a comfortable 79-53 win over Sangre Grande Young Stars in the second of three matches, during Sunday night's triple-header.
For UTT, which led 23-11 after the first period; 37-19 at half-time and 61-36 after three sessions, Guard Jeffrey Harris and forward Patrick Scipio both netted 16 points each. Captain Kerry Celestine backed his team-mates up with 15.
Glendon Phillip was the only player who offered any resistance for Sangre Grande as he led his team with 17 points.
In Women's Division action, Allison Young, the MVP of the 2011-2012 season continued her prolific scoring exploits when she burned Courts Horizon's defence with 19 points to help initiate a 72-39 win from Brian Chase Academy, in Sunday's first match.
Courts Horizon trailed, 12-10 after the first session of play, before falling further behind, 28-19, at the half. The team subsequently struggled to score points.
For Brian Chase Academy, the defending champion, centre Afeisha Noel and guard Stephanie Isaac supported with 11 and nine points, respectively.
For Courts Horizon, forward Natalie Peters led all scorers with 20 points.
Standings
Men's Division
Teams Pld W L Pts
Caledonia 9 7 2 16
UTT 8 6 2 13
Petro Jazz 6 6 0 12
Valencia Heat 7 5 2 12
Shak Attack 6 5 1 11
Maloney Pacers 7 4 3 11
Sangre Grande 10 1 9 11
MOS Schoolaz 8 2 6 10
Diego Martin 8 3 5 10
Police SC 7 2 5 9
Defence Force 4 4 0 8
Monarchs 7 0 7 7
JCW Quarters 5 1 4 6
Women's Division
Teams Pld W L Pts
Police 3 2 1 5
Brian Chase 3 2 1 5
Quarters Utd 2 2 0 4
Colours 3 1 2 4
Horizon 3 0 3 3
Def/Force 0 0 0 0