Flamengo pulls out nailbiter win over Boca Jrs
MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay) – Sitting last in Group C heading into Gameday 11, Flamengo fought until the final buzzer for a 65-62 victory over Boca Jrs in Basketball Champions League of Americas.
MONTEVIDEO (Uruguay) – Sitting last in Group C heading into Gameday 11, Flamengo fought until the final buzzer for a 65-62 victory over Boca Jrs in Basketball Champions League of Americas action at Palacio Peñarol on Thursday night.
A back and forth battle all game, the first quarter was no exception as the teams changed leads three times, with Boca Jrs leading by seven points as Jose Vildoza once again had a strong start for his side.
Flamengo would then go on an 11-0 run to close out the quarter as Martin Cuello was active on all sides of the ball, driving the net, setting up plays and grabbing defensive boards.
Vildoza continued his offensive push in the second quarter as Marcos Mata joined to keep Boca Jrs within reach of Flamengo, but Guilhereme Deodato and Gabriel Galvanini were two of the biggest contributors for Flamengo’s offense in the quarter as they both had tallied 9 points by halftime while Devon Scott had tallied 6 rebounds.
Flamengo’s big bodies dominated in the paint while their well-rounded bench gave them much-needed stamina to increase the gap to 8 points as they lead 36-28 by the half despite committing seven turnovers that led to 5 points for Boca Jrs.
Struggling to make shots from deep, Flamengo shot over 50 per cent from 2-point range and controlled their offensive rebounds in the third quarter, but a 6-point quarter from Leonardo Mainoldi made the game closer than Flamengo had liked.
Boca Jrs. closed the gap late in the third quarter at 40-38 trailing by a basket, but a Flamengo 9-0 run pushed them back to a double-digit lead with just over two minutes in the quarter to play.
With Flamengo leading by 5 heading into the fourth quarter, back-to-back layups from Juan Guerrero and Wayne Langston made it a 1 points game just over a minute into the final frame, which would continue until the final buzzer.
Sebastian Vega’s three-pointer gave Boca Jrs the lead back, though Flamengo continually caught up with a basket of their own.
Tied at 62-62 with 43 seconds to play, Franco Balbi’s defensive strength kept Boca Jrs from scoring, and two free throws of his own after a foul put Flamengo ahead by two with 23 seconds to play.
One final made free throw from Balbi with five seconds left to play would seal the victory for Flamengo, a crucial win to keep their BCLA hopes alive.
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Galvanini led Flamengo with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while Deodato added 11 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Vildoza once again led Boca Jrs with 15 points and 5 assists, and Vega added 10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the loss.
FIBA