Barquisimeto to host 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas Final4

BARQUISIMETO (Liga de las Americas) - FIBA Americas have confirmed that the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto will host the Final4 of the 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas, which will involve defending champions Bauru, Mogi das Cruzes and Flamengo (all from Brazil), along with host Guaros de Lara in a single-elimination format that will be played on 11-12 March in the Domo de Lara.

The action will get underway on Friday 11 March with the following games:

The winners of Friday's two games will face off on Saturday 12 March with the title of 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas champions at stake. Friday's two losing teams will play for third place.

"The Final4 has a home and it is Barquisimeto. Guaros de Lara has shown excellent organizational capacity and interest in hosting the great conclusion of this DIRECTV Liga de las Americas," said FIBA Americas President Usie Richards. "Venezuelan basketball is living a historic era and hosting this continental club competition is proof once more of the love and commitment the country has for our sport. It will be an exciting weekend for basketball fans of the Americas."

"It is an inmense pride for Barquisimeto to host the Final4 of the 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas," said Guaros de Lara President Horge Hernandez. "For the first time in its history, the Domo Bolivariano, home to a Venezuelan professional league team like Guaros de Lara, representative of our country throughout the Americas, will host this continental competition and some of the most important teams in the continent with Bauru, Mogi and Flamengo.

"As a Venezuela, Lara and Barquisimeto native, I am very thankful to FIBA and the Venezuelan Basketball Federation for allowing us the opportunity to live through this historic event. Venezuelan basketball is currently going through an unprecedented high and these news confirm that we are still capable of even bigger things."

This is the ninth edition of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas. The competition has been won by Argentina’s Peñarol (2007 & 2009) and Regatas (2010), Brazil’s Uniceub (2008), Pinheiros (2013), Flamengo (2014) and Bauru (2015), and Mexico’s Pioneros (2012).

This year, Group A was held in Santiago, Dominican Republic where Mogi das Cruzes and Malvin qualified; Group B was in Santiago del Estero, Argentina where Bauru and Quimsa made it to the next round; Group C was held in Panama City, Panama where Flamengo and Correcaminos qualified; and Group D in Barquisimeto, Venezuela where Guaros de Lara and UniCEUB closed the semifinal stage.

The first semifinal was held in Bauru, Brazil where Mogi das Cruzes and the host and defending champion Bauru qualified for the Final4; while the second semifinal was held in Barquisimeto, Venezuela where Flamengo and host Guaros de Lara, earned the last two tickets to the final weekend in the continental club competition.

Both semifinals will be broadcasted by DIRECTV (America), SporTV (Brazil) and on the web through livebasketball.tv (subscription required).

For the most complete coverage of the 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas, visit ligamericas.com.

FIBA