Quimsa inches closer to Final 8; Real Estelí gets even in Group A

MIAMI (United States) - Quimsa got a step closer to clinching their spot in BCLA's Final 8 after beating Minas on the road, while Real Estelí got a crucial win against Libertadores to meet them at the top of Group A. Here's how the games played out:

Minas 74 – 86 Quimsa

Quimsa maintained their rock-solid journey through the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Americas, defeating Minas 86-74 on the road Monday evening at Arena Minas Tenis Clube in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). 

The Argentinians, who won the first edition of BCLA back in 2020, led wire to wire and never allowed the home crowd to will Leonardo Costa's team back to victory.

Brandon Robinson set the tone early with 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter a Quimsa held a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

 

The 33-year-old shooting guard shot 8/12 from the field (3/5 from beyond the arc) and showed he has Minas' number after dropping 27 on them back in mid-December.

He added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block and kept the road team's offense afloat until the cavalry arrived.

And when it did, in the second quarter, Quimsa opened a 17-point lead. Sebastián Acevedo, Agustín Pérez and Juan Brussino combined to shoot 7/11 from beyond the arc and managed to always keep their opponent at arm's length.

Meanwhile, Eric Anderson Jr. uncorked a masterful all-around performance as he added 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a pair of blocks and steals.

Minas scratched and clawed their way back into the game after intermission, getting within a couple of buckets at the end of the third quarter.

Wesley Ferreira led the way with 19 points but only four of them came in the second half.

And by the time Felipe Vezaro (14 points), Renan Lenz and Shaquille Johnson (10 apiece) and Alexey Borges (11 points and 8 dimes) got going, the game had already tilted back in Quimsa's favor.

Minas certainly had their opportunities but missed 10 of their 21 free throws on a night where the margin of error was nearly nonexistent after their poor start.

 

With the win, Quimsa improved to 3-0 to remain atop Group B. A win on Tuesday against Uruguay's Biguá would not only punch their ticket to the Final 8 but also secure their first-place finish.

Minas (2-2) will face the still winless Biguá (0-2) on Wednesday.

Real Estelí 98 – 84 Libertadores

Home cooking was all Real Estelí needed to get back to the top of Group A, as David Rosario's guys defeated Libertadores de Querétaro, 98-84, Monday night at Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Managua.

Real Estelí thus avenged their loss to Libertadores in Mexican soil back in December.

The Nicaraguans took the lead midway through the first quarter and never relinquished, growing it into double digits with a strong third quarter led by Thomas Robinson.

The former NBA power forward had another dominant showing, finishing with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Robinson formed great partnerships with both scoring guard Jezreel De Jesús and playmaking big man Davon Jefferson.

Jefferson led the team with 7 assists while adding 16 points and 4 rebounds.

Puerto Rican De Jesús was unstoppable on offense, leading the team with 29 points on 8/13 from the field, 2/3 from beyond the arc and 11/14 at the free throw line.

 

They were also joined by newcomer Tu Holloway, who replaced Christian Pizarro in the roster. Holloway scored 20 points in 34 minutes and drained three of his team's five three-pointers on the night.

With several of their best players having off nights, Libertadores relied heavily on star big man Ismael Romero.

The Cuban center carried the Mexican squad on his back and finished with a game-high 30 points. He added 11 rebounds to notch another double-double to his resume, plus a pair of steals and blocks,

Romero got some late help from Branden Frazier, who scored 14 of his 17 in the fourth quarter, looking very much like the microwave scorer who dropped 29 on Real Estelí in December.

Unfortunately for the Mexican squad, Frazier and Romero were their only players scoring in double digits, as Víctor Liz, Jorge Gutiérrez and Gabriel Girón combined for 16 points on 6/23 from the field.

Real Estelí (2-2) and Libertadores (2-2) now share the top spot in Group A, with the Nicaraguans ahead by a mere 2 points in point differential. Libertadores will now face Honey Badgers on Tuesday, while Real Estelí will take on the still-winless Canadian squad on Wednesday.

 

FIBA