RIO DE JANEIRO (Brazil) – Flamengo defeated Astros de Jalisco 101-99 in Game 1 of their best-of-three Basketball Champions League Americas Quarter-Final series. The team used 19 three-pointers to snap Astros unbeaten run in the tournament and take the first step toward the Final Four.
Turning point
Flamengo, the defending BCL Americas champion, built a game-high 19-point lead with 3:16 remaining before halftime. Large thanks to their early hot shooting, going 8-for-10 from three-point range in the first quarter (11 triples overall in the first half). That cushion allowed the Brazilian side to maintain control against a Mexican squad that fought until the end and came within a single basket of tying the score on several occasions. However, Flamengo’s timely three-pointers kept falling, allowing them to hold the edge in the series.
Player of the game
Franco Baralle posted 19 points (5-of-9 from three-point range), 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency rating of 23 for the Rio de Janeiro club.
Gui Deodato also stood out for the winners as the game’s leading scorer with 24 points (a personal BCL Americas high). Shaquille Johnson added 19 points (two shy of reaching 600 in BCL Americas). For Astros, Christopher Perry (31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals) and Trey Burke (26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals) came close to preserving their team’s unbeaten record in the competition.
Stats don’t lie
Fifty-seven of Flamengo’s 101 points came from beyond the arc. Their 19 three-pointers, the third-highest total in a single BCL Americas game, proved too much for the Mexican side, which allowed more than 72 points. Flamengo’s defense also managed to limit Astros’ offensive firepower. After averaging 117.7 points during the Group Phase, the Mexican club scored under 100 points for the first time in seven games in the competition.
Bottom line
Flamengo recorded their 49th victory in BCL Americas and now sits just one win away from becoming the first team in tournament history to reach 50. With 4 assists in the game, Paul Stoll (Astros) reached a total of 103 in BCL Americas. The series now shifts to Guadalajara, Mexico, for Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary) at Arena Astros on Friday, March 13.
FIBA