San Lorenzo dominates to stay atop Group C standings

BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – Jose Vildoza’s 14-point, 7-rebound showcase against Obras added to a 14-point win to keep San Lorenzo on top of the standings, with a 87-73 win at Estadio Obras Sanitarias on Sunday night in Group C play.

Obras captured the early lead in the game during a close first quarter, holding San Lorenzo to 14 while scoring 18 themselves. Fernando Zurbriggen and Luca Valussi combined for 12 of Obras’ 18 points while Roberto Acuña led San Lorenzo’s defense with 6 rebounds.

San Lorenzo continued their pressure defensively during the second quarter, keeping Valussi scoreless and limiting Zurbriggen to just 3 points. Kevin Cristian Hernandez also scored 9 of San Lorenzo’s 21 points during the quarter, helping push the team ahead going into the half.

Valussi and Zurbriggen were once again held defensively by San Lorenzo during the third quarter, leaving Joaquin Rodriguez to pick up the energy on offense, scoring 7 points for Obras in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to beat San Lorenzo.

Nicolás Aguirre and Facundo Piñero both score 9 points through three, but it was Jose Vildoza’s buzzer beater that gave San Lorenzo an 11-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the game, tallying 8 points for himself.

Though Obras continued to push their offense, it wasn’t enough to cut the deficit of 10 points that San Lorenzo held the entire fourth quarter as missed layups and offensive rebounds resulted in miss scoring opportunities.

Key players for Obras were Lautaro Fernandez and Juan Pablo Venegas Schaefer, who also added a combined 26 points in the loss. For San Lorenzo, Dar Tucker scored in double digits, adding 14 to the scoreboard for the win.

Hernandez and Vilodoza continued to control both sides of the court for San Lorenzo, pushing the lead to 15 points at times, and combining for 11 rebounds during the game.

Zurbriggen was the key for Obras staying in the game, scoring 15 points as well as grabbing 7 boards, leading the team in both categories.

San Lorenzo not only beat Obras off the bench, scoring 32 to their 28, but also outscoring on points from turnovers, fast breaks and second chance points. San Lorenzo also outrebounded their opponent offensively, grabbing 10 boards against Obras’ 4.

FIBA