Jared Wilson-Frame scores 24 in Mexican pro league debut

Former Pitt guard Jared Wilson-Frame made his debut with the Astros de Jalisco in Mexico’s top-tier pro league on Thursday night. Although the Astros fell 89-85 to the Panteras de Aguascalientes, Wilson-Frame put on a show, as he led all scorers with 24 points and came up with that total in a span of 28 minutes.

The game got off to a promising start for both the Astros as a whole and Wilson-Frame in particular, as the team jumped out to an early lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Astros led the Panteras 30-22, and Wilson-Frame had scored 19 of his team’s 30 points, with most of his total coming on five made threes.

Wilson-Frame would sit for most of the second quarter and re-enter with 2:12 left in the half. At that point, sloppy play by the Astros had let the Panteras back in the game, and at the halftime buzzer, Wilson-Frame and the Astros were only up by three, with the score 48-45.

The third quarter would be a quiet one for Wilson-Frame, as the team worked to get other players involved in the offensive effort. And despite Wilson-Frame’s contribution of two points, one steal and one assist in the quarter, the Astros were outscored 20-9.

In the fourth quarter, the Astros began to show some fight and even pulled back within three points with less than two minutes left, setting up a dramatic finish. Wilson-Frame would figure prominently into the comeback effort, as the ball was in his hands for all the Astros’ late shots. With 14 seconds left in the game, he sunk his sixth three-point shot of the night to trim the Panteras’ lead to two. But that would prove to be the Astros’ last stand, as they fell to the Panteras in Aguascalientes 89-85.

All told, Wilson-Frame finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, which included a 6-of-11 showing from beyond the arc. He also chipped in two assists and two steals. And although Jalisco lost, the Pitt product proved to be a force at the pro level.