MIAMI (United States) – Stage 2 of the Group Phase of the Basketball Champions League Americas 2025–26 tipped off this Wednesday with matchups in Groups D and C. SESI Franca (BRA) overwhelmed UdeC (CHI). It made history behind its powerful offense, while Boca Juniors (ARG) delivered a strong performance in front of its home crowd and avenged its December loss to Minas Tenis Clube (BRA). Here’s a look at the best of the action in the BCL Americas:
SESI Franca 120 – 62 UdeC
SESI Franca (2-1) unleashed its full offensive firepower against UdeC (0-3), cruising to a dominant victory and enjoying a historic night in front of its fans at the Ginásio Pedrocão. The 120 points scored by Franca were the most ever in a single game in BCL Americas history, surpassing the previous record of 118, also held by the Brazilian club from Season 5 against Obras. The 58-point margin of victory was also a new competition record, eclipsing the 56-point difference Flamengo (BRA) posted over Peñarol (URU) in the fourth season. Coached by Helinho, Franca also set a new single-game record with 41 assists. The previous mark belonged to Boca Juniors (ARG), with 34. Franca set the tone early with a 29–11 run in the opening quarter and slammed the door shut in the third, outscoring UdeC 39–13 to stretch the lead to 86–46. Seven Franca players scored in double figures. Lucas Dias led the way with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He was followed by Cristiano Felicio (16 points, 8 rebounds), Paulo Barbosa (14), Rafa Mineiro (12), David Jackson (12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Georginho De Paula (11) and Luis Rodríguez (10 points and 6 assists). Twenty-year-old Hugo Antunes added 7 assists off the bench.
With his five rebounds in the game, Dias moved to five away from becoming the BCL Americas’ all-time leading rebounder. The current record is held by Cuban-born, Puerto Rican international Ismael Romero, with 291. Jackson, meanwhile, climbed into the league’s all-time top 10 in rebounds. He also ranks seventh in assists and fourth in scoring. For UdeC, which was without imports Stephen Maxwell and Isaac Hamilton, 18-year-old point guard Francisco Saravia was the standout performer with 16 points. Barham Amor added 12 points and 7 rebounds, while another 20-year-old, Sebastián Pereira, chipped in 11 points. It was UdeC’s 12th straight loss in BCL Americas play—they have not won since February 2023—and the outlook in Group D is starting to grow increasingly complicated.
Boca Juniors 92 – 77 Minas Tenis Clube
In the nightcap, Boca Juniors (2–1) set the tone from the opening tip and delivered a strong performance at home, at the Luis Conde Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to defeat Minas (2–1) in a Group C matchup. Agustín Barreiro (22 points, 14 rebounds) and Francisco Cáffaro (14 points, 10 rebounds) led the way with double-doubles, while Michael Smith scored 18 points (4 three-pointers), Wayne Langston added 14 and Martín Cuello chipped in 12 points (4 three-pointers) in his season debut.
The key for Boca was controlling the boards. The team pulled down 48 rebounds (a club record in the competition) compared to 32 from their opponents. This opened the floor for transition opportunities and fueled a 24–4 advantage in fast-break points. Coached by Gonzalo Pérez, Boca also held edges of 20–9 in points off turnovers, 19–10 in second-chance points and 50–32 in points in the paint. In addition, Boca dished out 25 assists compared to 11 from Minas. Minas allowed more than 90 points for the first time in its last 20 BCL Americas games. Lucas Rodríguez led the team with a career-high 22 points. Ricardo Fischer followed with 14 points and 5 assists, while Alexandre Paranhos posted 11 points and 6 rebounds. Action in Groups D and C continues on Thursday, January 15th. Check the game schedule here.
FIBA