Quimsa dominates Flamengo to become BCLA's first repeat champion

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO (Argentina) – Quimsa put the exclamation point on a dream 2023-24 campaign, dominating Flamengo (92-80) Sunday night at home to become the first Basketball Champions League Americas repeat champion.

Boosted by a rabid home crowd at Estadio Ciudad and a complete team effort on the hardwood, the Argentinian club led nearly wire-to-wire on their way to their second trophy in the history of the competition.

 

Turning point: Leandro Ramella’s squad took control of the action early in the first quarter, opening a double-digit lead and putting the visiting team on their heels.

But far from cooling off after the end of the period, the Argentinians came out guns blazing in the second, uncorking an explosive sequence of outside shooting that saw them extend their lead to 22 points at 36-14.

At that point, Quimsa had made 7 of their first 8 three-pointers and looked unstoppable.

The Brazilians made it competitive at times throughout the rest of the night, but with both Gui Deodato and Gabriel Galvanini having off nights – plus Quimsa masterfully dissecting their zone defense – Gustavo Conti’s guys never found a formula to truly get back in the game.

Player of the Game: Brandon Robinson was named Most Valuable Player after leading Quimsa with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, cementing his status as BCLA legend.

The 34-year-old guard shot 6/10 from the field, including a pair of tough jumpers in the 4th quarter as Flamengo made a desperate attempt to get within striking distance.

 

Moreover, the American sharpshooter can now officially be considered Flamengo’s biggest nightmare, as he also won MVP honors when Quimsa defeated the Brazilians in the 2019-20 edition of the tournament. The veteran was also named MVP on that occasion.

All in all, Quimsa had 4 players who scored in double digits, with Juan Brussino and Tayavek Gallizzi contributing 14 points apiece and Emiliano Basabe adding an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double.

Flamengo got a team-high 15 points from Martín Cuello, but all of Kayo Manfio, Scott Machado, Didi Louzada and Deodato were held so single digits.

 

Stats don’t lie: Despite cooling off down the stretch, Quimsa shot 10/26 from beyond the arc and 57.4 percent from the field. They also defended at a high level, holding Flamengo to just 39.8 percent from the floor and limiting them to only 12 free throw attempts.

Quimsa had a massive 46-33 edge on the boards and fiercely guarded the perimeter, forcing Flamengo to take tough shots that were reflected in their 11/40 from downtown.

The Argentinians struggled with turnovers (20), but also found a way to punish Flamengo inside, besting them 40-36 in points in the paint.

Bottom line: After lifting the trophy in the inaugural 2019-20 BCLA season, Quimsa now becomes the first team in the history of the tournament to repeat as champions.

Conversely, Flamengo has now been to 4 finals in 5 years but lost 3 of them.

Power forward Fabián Ramírez (8 points and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes) was also a member of the 2019-20 squad and joins Robinson as players who won both titles with the Argentinian giants.

 

Final 4 All-Star 5: Robinson was joined in the All-Star 5 by teammate Juan Brussino, Halcones de Xalapa’s Jordan Glynn, Hebraica Macabi’s Jordan Williams and Flamengo’s Balbi.

Brussino had 14 points and 7 assists in the final to finish with a 17 efficiency rating. He finished with 14 points on Saturday’s semifinal win against Hebraica Macabi, proving to be a firm hand on the rudder of this talented Quimsa squad.

Balbi scored a game-high 16 points (7/17 from the field) in the final against Quimsa after dropping 19 and 7 assists a day earlier against Halcones. The Argentinian guard scored 10 of his points in the second half but Flamengo’s run in the 4th quarter came too little too late. He was also a member of the 2019-20 Flamengo squad that lost to Quimsa in the inaugural season of BCLA.

Glynn scored 26 points on Saturday’s close defeat to Flamengo and then poured another 20 on Sunday to lead Halcones to a 3rd-place finish.

Williams was sensational throughout the weekend, notching 25 points in Hebraica’s semifinal loss against Quimsa and another 32 in their overtime loss against Halcones.

FIBA