Bauru and Mogi advance to 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas Final Four

BAURU (2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas) - The Brazilians came through the Second Phase of the 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas over the weekend, with defending champions Bauru and Mogi das Cruzes becoming the first two clubs to qualify for the Final Four of the competition.

It came down to the wire.

Bauru started the weekend with a big 89-77 win over Uruguay's Malvin. It was a trademark victory for the Brazilian club with great performances by its usual suspects Alex Garcia, who scored 22 points with 5 rebounds, and Rafael Hettsheimeir, who also scored 22 with 9 rebounds. The team shot 57 percent from the floor in an incredible offensive display in front of their fans.

Then came the big upset. Mogi das Cruzes had a perfect game and put an end to the largest-ever winning streak in continental club competition by defeating Bauru, 75-66. Bauru had won 23 in a row in both the Liga de las Americas and Liga Sudamericana, dating back to 2013. The irony? The streak was ended by a fantastic performance from former Bauru great Larry Taylor, who scored 20 points and came up big in the win.

Mogi had started the weekend with a loss against Argentina's Quimsa, 69-67, in a thriller that was won by Gabriel Deck with a last minute basket.

It was a big win for Quimsa and a good loss for Mogi, having to account only for a small negative margin (-2) in case of a three-team tie in the next couple of days.

Then came the win against Bauru and a dominant effort against Malvin that secured their spot in the Final Four. This will be Mogi's first appearance in the final stage of the competition. Their offensive versatility, highlighted by the fact that the team practically has a different leading scorer every night, should make them a real candidate to win the championship.

Bauru's loss against Mogi forced the defending champions to beat Argentina's Quimsa and do so by six points or more in order to advance in the three-team tie scenario. And so they did. In a dramatic outcome, Bauru won 73-63, with a stellar turn from point guard Ricardo Fischer, who scored 26 points along with 7 assists in the win.

The Final Four picture is now half defined. Mogi came out as the 1st place team of the first semifinal phase and will face the 2nd place team of the second semifinal phase that will be played next weekend in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Bauru will have to face the 1st place team of that second semifinal.

The second semifinal group includes Brazil's Flamengo and UniCEUB, Panama’s Correcaminos and host Guaros de Lara. 

The Final Four of the 2016 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas will be played in March 11-12 in a city yet to be determined.

This is the ninth edition of the DIRECTV Liga de las Americas. The competition has been won by Argentina's Penarol (2007 & 2009) and Regatas (2010), Brazil's Uniceub (2008), Pinheiros (2013), Flamengo (2014) and Bauru (2015), and Mexico's Pioneros (2012). 

The competition will be broadcast by DIRECTV throughout the Americas, SporTV in Brazil and online on livebasketball.tv (subscription required). 

For the most complete coverage of the 2016 edition, visit ligamericas.com.

FIBA