Flamengo survive comeback bid by Instituto; Penarol also through to Final 8

MIAMI (United States) - Group C in the Basketball Champions League Americas got underway tonight with Flamengo holding off Instituto 79-71 to punch their ticket to the Quarterfinals, also qualifying Penarol for the Final 8.

Flamengo went on an 18-5 run to take an 11-point lead after one quarter with 21 of their 29 points coming from the three-point line. Instituto struggled to get their shots to fall from long range, connecting on just 3-of-17 threes in the first half, while Flamego's Jose Vildoza was already 3-of-5.

 

Instituto got an extra boost from their home fans inside the Angel Sandrin in the second half, narrowing their deficit down to only five points in the third quarter before eventually grabbing a brief 71-70 lead with about four minutes left in the game.

Martin Cuello took the game into his own hands for Flamengo down the stretch and scored 8 points in the final few minutes, helping them pull away for the 8-point win.

Cuello was the top performer and just missed out on recording a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The 29-year-old guard shot 7-of-11 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point and had a 32 efficiency (fifth highest in a BCLA game this season).

 

Nicolas Romano led Instituto in defeat with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 7-of-14 from the field. Center Tayavek Gallizzi nearly missed a double-double and finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

Flamengo crashed the boards and outrebounded Instituto by a +12 margin (42-30), had a 19-11 advantage in assists, and shot the ball more efficiently with an overall shooting percentage of 51.8 percent compared to only 38.5 percent.

Flamengo have improved to 4-1 in Group C and the Brazilian club have advanced to the Quarterfinals. Their win also pushed Penarol through to the Quarterfinals of the BCLA. Flamengo will close the final group stage against Penarol on Tuesday February 7.

Instituto, meanwhile, have dropped to 1-4 in the group and the loss means that the club from Argentina have been eliminated from the competition. They will look to go out on a high note in their next game against Penarol on Wednesday February 8.

 

FIBA