Piratas Strike on the Road in Ambato to Grab a 2-1 Finals Lead

Piratas de los Lagos landed the biggest blow of the series so far, winning 84-69 on the road in Ambato to take Game 3 and move within a single victory of being crowned the first champions of Ecuador's women's professional league.

Iimar'I Thomas (178-G/F-2000, college: UCLA) led the way for the Ibarra side with a commanding 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, powering Piratas to a road win at the home of Importadora Alvarado and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five final. It was a result built on character in a hostile building, the kind of statement win that swings a series.
Alvarado had no answer despite a huge night from import Zada Williams (188-F-1996, college: Florida), who topped all scorers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Her double-double was not enough to keep the hosts level, as Piratas controlled the contest and silenced the Ambato crowd.
The win continued a series defined by the road team striking back. Piratas opened with a 62-51 home victory in Game 1, before Alvarado roared back to even things with an 86-69 win in Game 2 in Ibarra. Now Piratas, the regular-season pacesetters, have wrestled momentum away again, leaving Alvarado with no margin for error.
Attention turns to Game 4, where Piratas will look to close out the championship and Alvarado must win to force a deciding Game 5 with the inaugural Liga BásquetPro Femenina title hanging in the balance.