Sesi Franca sweep Penarol, set up Final 4 date with Quimsa

FRANCA (Brazil) - Sesi Franca swept Penarol in two games thanks to an 87-72 victory at home to round out the Final 4 field in the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Americas.

All four Quarterfinals series ended in two-game sweeps. Here's a look at the the two Semifinals matchups:

Minas vs Flamengo
Sesi Franca v Quimsa

There was little separation between Sesi Franca and Penarol in the first half, as Sesi Franca held a slim 37-36 lead heading into halftime. Lucas Mariano had the hot hand early, scoring 17 points in the first half for Sesi Franca.

 

In the third quarter, Sesi Franca had a comfortable quarter where they put up 29 points to take a 66-57 lead into the fourth quarter. The final quarter was where Sesi Franca sealed the game.

After Penarol cut Sesi Franca's lead to 71-66, Sesi Franca went on a 16-6 run to punch their ticket to the next round of the BCLA.

Sesi Franca's Lucas Dias was the top performer, finishing with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double along with 3 blocks. The 27-year-old big man shot 3-of-7 from three-point range and had a game-high 21 efficiency.

 

Mariano scored a game-high 21 points to go with 8 rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, finishing right behind his teammate Dias with a 20 efficiency.

Penarol had four players score in double figures led by Charles Thomas who finished with a team-high 19 points and 9 rebounds in only 22 minutes. Robin Benzing chipped in 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals and shot 3-of-7 from three-point.

Sesi Franca shot the ball more efficiently than Penarol, as they made five more shots from the field (28-23) but did so on seven fewer shots (67-74). Sesi Franca also had a 54-40 advantage in rebounds and had 9 blocks, the most by a team in the BCLA this season.

 

FIBA