San Lorenzo employed an explosive first quarter and a balanced attack to beat Quimsa on the road on Thursday, forcing a deciding Game 3 in the Basketball Champions League Americas.

Led by Dar Tucker and Facundo Piñero, Nestor García’s squad dominated the first 12 minutes and quickly opened a double-digit lead.

And those guys never really went away, with the star of the Jordanian National Team finishing with 21 points on 8-of-15 from the field. Piñero, meanwhile, was even more effective, showing the perfect blend of inside strength and perimeter skills. The power forward had 20 on 8-of-13 shooting, including an excellent 3-for-7 from downtown.

Quimsa played them about even the rest of the way, with Americans Evan Ravenel (16 points) and Brandon Robinson (21) leading the charge.

However, they would never get closer than eight points due to San Lorenzo’s depth and the firepower up and down its rotation.

García had five players on double digits, with Justin Williams (14 and nine rebounds), point guard Nicolás Aguirre (10 on four shots) and Luciano González (14) joining the party. Veteran Marcos Mata provided a single basket, but it was a pretty memorable one.

San Lorenzo shot a scorching hot 55.4% from the field and had 23 assists to only eight turnovers, enough to defeat Quimsa in Santiago del Estero and deny them a spot in the Finals.

The home team, which had solid nights from Ismael Romero and Juan Brussino, will now try repeat Monday’s feat and get the upset. After beating Instituto earlier in the day, Flamengo awaits.