MIAMI (United States) – Minas kept their perfect record in Group C and Flamengo did the same in Group B after both Brazilian squads dominated Biguá and Toros de Chiriquí in their respective games on Sunday. This is what transpired across the day’s Basketball Champions League Americas Group Stage games:
Bigua 85 – 77 Minas
Minas took control of the action early on their way to defeating Biguá in a Group C game at Estadio 8 de Junio in Paysandú, Uruguay. The Belo Horizonte (Brazil) squad went up 25-11 at the end of the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the game. Biguá made things interesting down the stretch by getting within 6 points (74-66) on an Andre Spight three-pointer and an and-1 from Leandro Cerminato with 2:52 left in regulation, but Jeremy Hollowell responded for Minas with a steal at halfcourt and a layup to push the lead back to double digits (82-72).
Danilo Fuzaro had 18 points and 3 assists to lead the Minas attack. Yuri Elias added 13 points, while Hollowell (7 rebounds) and Alexandre Paranhos (8 boards) chipped in 11 apiece. Luis Montero (14 rebounds) and Scott Machado also had 9 points each for the winning side. Leonardo Costa’s guys dominated the boards by 44-31 (14-7 on the offensive glass), allowing them to generate points on the break (17-7) and win second-chance points comfortably (14-8).
For the hosts, Spight and Cerminato (6 rebounds) were the leading scorers with 13 points apiece. Álex López scored 12 (on 4 three-pointers) and Josh Cunningham added 11. On Monday, Minas will look to punch their ticket to the Quarterfinals when they face defending champions Quimsa (0-2), who need a win to avoid inching a step closer to elimination.
Toros de Chiriqui 50 – 96 Flamengo
Playing at Arena Roberto Durán in Panama City, Flamengo (3-0) looked sharp and easily got past Toros de Chiriquí (0-3) on the road. The Brazilians found very little resistance from the Panamanian squad and controlled every facet of the game. They also had an inspired day from long distance, making 19 three-pointers on 33 tries for an impressive 58 percent. Overall, Flamengo shot 54 percent from the field (37-for-69) and all 10 of their players scored.
Gui Deodato (in just 12 minutes) and Shaquille Johnson led the offense with 13 points apiece. Alexey Borges added 12 points and 9 assists, while Lucas Siewert (11 points and 7 boards) and Jordan Williams (10 points and 7 rebounds) also scored in double digits. The only Flamengo players who didn’t make three-pointers were big men Ruan Miranda and Tayavek Gallizzi. The rest drained at least one. For Toros, 48-year-old veteran Michael Hicks (14 points) was their only player in double digits. On Monday, Flamengo will try to secure their spot in the Quarterfinals with a win over Boca Juniors.
FIBA