MIAMI (United States) – Both Argentinian clubs Obras Sanitarias and Instituto rocked the Basketball Champions League Americas action on Monday night, with Obras snapping its losing streak and Instituto pulling off a late comeback. Obras avoided a winless season in the tournament and extended Flamengo’s crisis, while Instituto notched its fourth win of the season. Here’s a look at the day’s highlights:
Obras 85 – 75 Flamengo
The drought is over for Obras Sanitarias, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with a Monday night victory over Flamengo.
The Argentinian club saw their double-digit first-half lead evaporate early in the fourth quarter but responded with a 10-0 run to reclaim control of the game. Juan Brussino scored 7 of his 19 points in that crucial stretch. The 34-year-old also added 6 assists to bring his career total to 224 and extend his BCL Americas record. Shooting guard Tyler Sabin produced 18 points on 4-for-9 from beyond the arc for an Obras team that shot 44.8 percent from the field and an excellent 12-for-29 from long distance. Federico Zezular chipped in 13 points, his highest personal mark in 25 BCL Americas games. Flamengo (2-4) ended the group stage on a sour note, dropping its third straight game and losing three in a row for the first time in BCL Americas history (60 games). The Brazilians fought back in the second half but couldn’t hold on to the brief lead. They were held to just 38.1 percent from the field and could only rally an efficient offense in transition, where they outscored Obras 17-7. Alex Negrete (22 points on a perfect 13-for-13 at the free throw line) scored a BCL Americas career-high, and Shaquille Johnson (16 points on 4-for-6 from downtown) was the only other player to score in double digits.
Instituto 87 – 86 UdeC
Instituto erased a 15-point deficit to defeat UdeC and finish strong in Group D, while also keeping its pristine record against Chilean teams (8-0).
The Argentinian club won it on a pair of free throws from Anton Cook with only three seconds left. Meanwhile, UdeC’s Isaac Hamilton missed a desperate attempt at the buzzer.
Nicolas Copello was the hero, scoring 13 of his BCL Americas career-high 20 points in the final period to fuel the comeback. He added 6 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist for a game-high efficiency rating of 24.
Jordan Loveridge (20 points) shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Tomás Monacchi (14 points and 7 rebounds), Cook (15 points) and Javier Saiz (10) also scored in double digits for the home team. Despite shooting a lower percentage from the field, Instituto grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and outscored its opponent 18-12 in second-chance points. UdeC fought until the very end, even after squandering a big lead. Jerry Evans Jr. hit a clutch three-pointer with nine seconds left to put his team ahead before Cook won it at the charity stripe for Instituto. Evans Jr. led the way with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Stephen Maxwell added 19 points and 9 boards, while Hamilton finished with 18 on 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. With the win, Instituto (4-2) finished second in Group D and advanced to the Quarter-Finals, while UdeC (1-5) was eliminated. FIBA