RIO DE JANEIRO (Brasil) – Flamengo cruised to a comfortable victory over Toros de Chiriquí (99-72) Tuesday night at Tijuca Tenis Clube to jump to the top of Group B. Gustavo Conti’s squad was the only team in the first window of the Group Stage to win both of their home games.
Turning point
A 13-0 run in the final 5 minutes of the first quarter allowed the Brazilians to jump to a 23-13 lead and things went downhill from there. Later, a 27-6 run to start the third period pushed the lead to 22 points (61-39) and that broke the game open for home team. They won the third quarter 34-17, escaping to a 75-47 edge heading into the final stanza.
Player of the game
Flamengo unleashed a torrid offense where 5 different players scored in double digits. Jordan Williams led the way with 16 points and drained 4 three-pointers. Lucas Siewert (10 rebounds and 4 three-pointers), Kayo Manfio (7 boards) and Shaquille Johnson each scored 14 points, while Alexey Borges added 12 and 9 assists.
Adalberto Rojas finished with 18 points for Toros. Alejandro Grant added 11, while Ezequiel Bell and Joshua Lemon chipped in 10 apiece.
Stats don’t lie
The host team did damage across all levels. They made 16 three-pointers, collected 24 assists and won the rebounding battle 52-29 (with 17 offensive boards). However, the facet where they excelled the most was in transition (33-10). They were also superior in second-chance points (19-6) and points in the paint (40-26).
Bottom line
Flamengo (2-0) took care of business with a pair of victories at home. They’ll now go on the road as they try to punch their ticket to the Quarterfinals. Toros, the on-paper underdogs of the group, finished the first stage with a point differential of -48 and must raise their level of competitiveness if they want to have a shot at advancing.
FIBA