By Melody Gross 
Benfica rose to the top of the Portuguese Basketball League (LPB) after defeating Ovarines, with a score of 86-79 (22-22, 16-21, 31-16 and 17-20), in a late match for the ninth round of the competition. . Sporting and CAB Madeira have the same number of points, but the red team has a larger difference between the points scored and suffered, plus Madeira has three more games.
Benfica and Sporting have not yet faced each other, as the two rivals’ match is scheduled to take place on January 5th, and it is linked to the fifth round.
In Uvar, Norberto Alves’ side were in a terrible panic during the second quarter, having suffered partly from 17-0, allowing Vareros to go up at half-time, 43-38.
Returning to the changing rooms, inspirational Frank Gaines (25 points), Diogo Gameiro (12 points, 4 assists) and Bettenho Gomez (17 points, 8 rebounds) put the Eagles on the winning trail, concluding the game with an imposing 31-16. The result went to 69-59, already in favor of the Lisbon team.
In the last period, Joao Thiago’s team tried to respond, but the reaction was not enough. Brandon Anderson was the best in the home team with 23 points and 7 assists.