BELO HORIZONTE (Brazil) – Minas continued their dominance in Group C of the BCL Americas, extending its undefeated streak to five games with a commanding 86-64 victory over reigning champion Quimsa at Arena Minas Tênis Clube. The Brazilian squad once again looked solid, this time in front of its home crowd. A crucial 10-0 run in the final 3:29 of the second quarter allowed them to head into halftime with an 18-point lead (48-30), putting Quimsa in a tough position for the second half. The visitors never managed to mount a comeback. Minas punished their opponent from beyond the arc, knocking down 14 three-pointers on 29 attempts for an impressive 48% efficiency. Defensively, they were just as effective, holding Quimsa to only 34% shooting from the field (22-64), including just 6-of-22 from three-point range.
All 12 Minas players got on the scoreboard. Twenty-year-old Winicius Silva stood out with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Juan Arengo, who started in place of the absent Scott Machado, added 14 points, while Jeremy Hollowell contributed 11. For Quimsa, debutant Prince Ali was the only player to score in double figures, finishing with 16 points. Bruno Sansimoni followed with 9, while Nicolás Romano and Arnold Louis each added 8. This Sunday, Quimsa (1-4) will face Biguá (1-3), with the winner securing the final Quarterfinals spot.
FIBA