Flamengo qualifies for BCL Americas Final 8 after victory over Minas

CORDOBA (Argentina) - In what looked like it might be another Minas second-half comeback, Flamengo avoided an upset at the hands of their Group D rivals as they captured a 70-61 victory in the final window of the BCL Amercias.

Flamengo jumped out to a nine-point lead at halftime behind a stellar effort defensively, but Minas – as they did in Wednesday's matchup vs. Instituto – stormed back with a monster third quarter that had them outscore their opponent by six.

That third quarter effort was short lived, though, as Flamengo used a big game from Marquinhos Sousa (17 points) to remain unbeaten in group play.

Flamengo struggled to shoot the 3 and turned the ball over 12 times, but ultimately, it was their defense that guided them to a victory. One day after having big performances, Minas' Luciano Parodi was held to just 5-of-15 from the field and David Nesbitt was limited to just five points. Flamengo's discipline, length and speed defensively gave Minas fits all day. More importantly, they kept Minas to mostly half court sets and limited live-ball turnovers, as the Brazilian club had only five points in transition and six off turnovers.

In addition to their defense, Sousa received plenty of help on the offensive end. Rafael Hettsheimeir scored 11 points and hit three critical 3s, while Rafa Mineiro put up nine points, showing his face-up ability at 6'10".

Flamengo has clearly proven that they're a step above the rest in this group. After reaching the final of the BCL Americas last season before losing to Quimsa, they look like a team on a mission to make amends for that loss and cut down the nets.

With a 4-0 record, Flamengo is in perfect position to do so as they will move on to face Instituto in back-to-back games to complete the final window. Meanwhile, Minas completed their final games with a 2-4 overall record.

FIBA