Udec 49 – 92 Flamengo

Flamengo returned to their winning ways Friday evening with a 92-49 rout of Universidad de Concepción to remain atop Group D of the 2021-22 Basketball Champions League Americas.

The Brazilians got significant contributions from up and down its roster, with four different players scoring in double digits and a pair of guards notching 10 assists apiece en route to a dominating performance in which they shot 51.6% from the field.

Dar Tucker led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds, helping Flamengo establish an insurmountable lead in the third quarter. The sharpshooter went 3/4 from beyond the arc in an extremely efficient 14:34 of playing time.

Gustavo Conti’s squad put their whole arsenal on display, as Brandon Robinson added 16 points on 11 shots and big men Carlos Olivinha (13 points and seven rebounds) and Vitor Faverani (16 points and six boards) also made their presence felt in the paint.

Flamengo had a 51-31 edge in rebounds and a crushing 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.

They also moved the ball beautifully to the tune of 24 assists on 31 baskets. Yago Santos and Franco Balbi ran the show with flash and substance, finishing with 10 assists each.

To put things in perspective, the whole team of Universidad de Concepción combined for 10 total assists on 18 made baskets.

Playing at home at Gimnasio de la Casa del Deporte in Concepción, Chile, Cipriano Nuñez’s squad couldn’t hang on after a respecable first half showing against the defending champions.

Veteran forward Ernesto Oglivie led them with 13 points and six rebounds.

Eugenio Luzcando, who added 10 points, six boards and four assists, was their only other playing scoring in double digits, as the Chileans were hold to a frigid 28.6 percent from the field. UdeC managed only to make 4 of their 20 three-point attemps and were even erratic at the free throw line, where they shot 9/16.

Flamengo (4-1) will now face Boca Juniors (3-1) on Saturday in a game that most likely will determine the winner of Group D. Universidad de Concepción will host the Argentinians on Sunday to wrap up the action.

São Paulo 95 – 73 Quimsa

Sao Paulo extended its undefeated streak Friday night, getting by Quimsa, 95-73, to remain atop Group B of the 2021-22 Basketball Champions League Americas.

Behind another explosive performance from their starting 5, Bruno Mortari’s squad was able to hold the Argentinians at bay despite several comeback attemps in the second half.

One of the inflection points came in the waning seconds of the third quarter. With Quimsa looking to bring their deficit down to single digits, Marquinhos stole the ball in the backcourt, ran the break and banked in a wild three-pointer at the buzzer.

It was yet another typical from the 37-year-old, who shot 9/18 from the field and 3/8 from beyond the arc for a game-high 23 points.

The rest of the starting quintet followed suit as they scored all but six of Sao Paulo’s points in the night.

Bruno Caboclo notched 15 of his 23 points in the second half and added 10 rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocks to another masterful performance. He shot an excellent 10/13 from the field and 2/5 from downtown.

The American trio of Shammell Stallworth (20 points), Tyrone Curnell (15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists) and Corderro Bennett (8 points) did the rest for the home team, who shot 53.5 percent from the field, assisted on 25 of 38 made buckets and only had eight turnovers.

As for Quimsa, they went down swinging.

Jorge Gonzalez’s squad cut the deficit to 8 points with 6:55 to go in the fourth quarter to scare the crowd at the Ginásio Antônio Leme Nunes Galvão behind a couple of three-pointers from Reyshawn Terry (10 points).

But despite taking care of the ball (11 turnovers) and avoiding sending Sao Paulo to the line in excess, the Argentinians just couldn’t match their opponent’s firepower.

Venezuelan forward Garly Sojo led the way with 15 points on 3/3 from long distance, while Davaunta Thomas added 14. Emiliano Torette chipped in 10 points and seven assists.

Quimsa (1-4) now faces a do-or-die situation on Saturday as the match up against Nacional (1-3). A loss would eliminate them from the competition.

Sao Paulo will conclude its Group B against the Uruguayans on Sunday.

FIBA