Libertadores grab wire-to-wire win as curtain falls on group stage

MIAMI (United States) - The third and final group stage of the Basketball Champions League Americas came to a conclusion Thursday night with Libertadores taking care of Honey Badgers 107-86.

Libertadores were clicking on all cylinders and scored at least 100 points for the third time in six games. The team from Mexico built an early lead that they held for the entire game.

Jahvon Henry-Blair was one of the few bright spots for Honey Badgers early in the game, as he knocked down all three of the team's three-pointers at halftime, as the rest of the team were a combined 0-of-10.

Honey Badgers fought back and got as close as within three points in the third quarter thanks to a 7-0 run in only 40 seconds. Four of those points came from Sean Miller-Moore who had 8 points in the quarter and finished tied as the team's second leading scorer with 15 points, also dishing out 5 assists.

 

Libertadores' talent took over and they soon got back to scoring the ball in bunches, putting up 37 points in the final quarter and opening up a lead as big as 24 points.

Ismael Romero picked up another double-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. The 31-year-old center also made his first three-pointer of the BCLA season.

 

Three other players for Libertadores finished with at least 13 points including Elijah Holman (15 points), Branden Frazier (14 points) and Trahson Burrell (13 points). These three players along with Romero combined to make 25 of the team's 37 total made shots.

Forward Elijah Lufile was the top performer in defeat for Honey Badgers with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Libertadores had a decisive edge over Honey Badgers in assists (32-17) and also assisted on all but five of their made shots. There was a notable difference in three-point shooting, as Libertadores shot 53.4 percent for the game compared to only 26.9 percent for Honey Badgers.

Libertadores close out Group A in first place with a record of 5-1 and will play against Minas in the Quarterfinals, while Honey Badgers finish group stage winless at 0-6.

 

FIBA