BELO HORIZONTE (Brazil) – Instituto became the first team to secure a spot in the Basketball Champions League Americas Season 6's Final 4 by defeating Minas on the road, 74-79, in the third and final game of the Quarterfinal series at the Arena Minas Tênis Clube in Belo Horizonte. The Argentine squad, which entered the series as the second seed from Group D, overcame Minas, the favorites after leading Group C with a perfect record.
Turning point
Bautista Lugarini sank two free throws with 9.9 seconds remaining to extend the lead to two possessions (79-74) and seal the victory for the Córdoba team. Before those decisive free throws, Álex Negrete blocked a three-point attempt by Juan Arengo. Although Arengo recovered the rebound and got another shot off, he missed again, and Lugarini grabbed the defensive rebound before closing out the game. Another key factor for Instituto was a dominant third quarter, in which they outscored Minas 23-10. That run allowed them to enter the final 10 minutes with a 65-50 lead, giving them enough cushion to withstand the home team’s late push.
Player of the game
Lugarini stepped up and kept Instituto afloat when Nicola Pomoli fouled out with 3:15 left in the game. The forward finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Meanwhile, the Uruguayan shooting guard contributed 21 points (4-of-5 from three-point range) and 5 rebounds before fouling out. Negrete added 12 points.
Arengo led Minas with 19 points (4-of-8 from three). Jeremy Hollowell followed with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Franco Baralle added 11, and Rafa Mineiro had 10 points along with 8 boards.
Stats don’t lie
The game was closely contested both on the court and statistically, but Instituto’s defense set the tone by holding their opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the field (23-of-61), including 11-of-36 from beyond the arc (31%). In contrast, the Argentine team was much more efficient from deep, knocking down 13-of-25 three-pointers (52%).
Bottom line
Instituto entered the series as the underdog but displayed a high level of play to advance to their second Semifinals appearance after their debut in Season 1. Minas fell short of their goal, and for the first time in four BCL Americas Playoff appearances, they failed to reach the Final 4.
FIBA