Flamengo, Sesi Franca sweep second stage in groups C and D

 MIAMI (United States) – Sesi Franca became the first team to advance to the Final 8 of BCLA, while Flamengo notched another important win to climb to the top of Group C. Here's how the matches played out:

Flamengo 91 – 46 Instituto

Flamengo enacted sweet, sweet revenge on Instituto with an emphatic 91-46 victory Sunday evening at Tijuca Tenis Clube in Rio de Janeiro.

After losing to the Argentinians back in December, Gustavo Conti's dominated from the jump, opening up a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter and meticulously extending it until the final buzzer.

The Brazilians' depth and three-point shooting proved once again to be their most dangerous weapons, as they finished with six different players scoring in double digits.

Rafael Hettsheimeir and Lucas Martínez, arguably their best shooters, led the way with 14 points apiece.

 

Hettsheimeir scored seven points in the third quarter and spearheaded a 22-3 run that blew the game wide open for the home squad. He also led Flamengo with 8 rebounds.

Martínez went 4/6 from beyond the arc and finished the second stage with a 68.8 clip from three-point territory after his 7/10 explosion against Peñarol on Friday.

 

Flamengo was undeniable on offense, shooting 54.1 percent from the field and finishing with a 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio (27 assists to 9 turnovers).

José Vildoza led them with 8 dimes (plus 10 points and five rebounds) while fellow Argentinian guard "Penka" Aguirre and Gui Deodato added 5 assists each.

That proved to be too much firepower for an Instituto team that was held to just 30 percent from the field on a night where none of its players eclipsed the 7-point mark.

Gastón Elías, Leandro Vildoza and Nicolás Romano scored 7 points each.

 

Lucas Victoriano's squad was also outrebounded (48-29) and committed 22 fouls, sending Flamengo the line 26 times.

Moreover, Instituto was outscored 18-4 in transition, illustrating the gulf between these teams on this occasion.

With the win, Flamengo moves to 3-1 and stays atop Group C, while Instituto is at the bottom with a 1-3 record. Peñarol (Uruguay) remains in second place.

Obras 76 – 83 Sesi Franca

Sesi Franca mounted a furious fourth quarter comeback to defeat Obras Sanitarias on the road, 83-76, and punched their ticket to the next round of the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Americas.

Helinho Rubens' squad trailed by five points with 3:55 to go in the game before uncorking the game-winning 13-1 run, to the shock of those in attendance in Buenos Aires.

Lucas Dias scored 7 of his 17 in the final stanza, including a pair of free throws that put them up for good in the last 2 minutes of the game.

 

Dias formed a formidable duo with Lucas Mariano once again, as they combined for 31 points and 17 boards.

They essentially finished the job that David Jackson had started. The 40-year-old veteran scored 19 of his team-leading 21 points in the first three quarters, keeping the road team afloat while Obras seemed to be in control.

The home squad had led throughout most of the second half behind the playmaking of Joaquín Rodríguez.

The Uruguayan scored 18 points and had Obras up 75-70 with this beautiful hook shot:

 

Unfortunately for the Argentinians, that would end up being the last bucket they scored.

Georginho De Paula took over and willed Sesi Franca to the win, finishing with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, including a vicious dunk to make it 81-75 in the final moments of the game.

De Paula added a steal and a pair of blocks.

 

On a night where the outside shot wasn’t falling (just 8/35 from beyond the arc), Sesi Franca managed to put pressure on the rim and get their points the old-fashioned way.

The Brazilians shot 19/24 at the charity stripe, with their 11-point edge at the line looming large in the final stat sheet.

Obras ended up shooting better from the field and had solid games from Pedro Barral (14 points and 7 assists) and Jeffrey Solarin (12 points and 6 rebounds) but went cold went it mattered most and finished the second stage with consecutive home losses after dropping one to UDEC on Friday.

With the win, Sesi Franca (4-0) secured the first spot in Group D. Obras and UdeC, both owners of 1-3 records, will vie for the second spot of the group during the next stage, looking to advance to the Final 8.

FIBA