BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – Nacional (URU) captured the bronze medal in the Basketball Champions League Americas 2025–26 after a commanding 94-65 victory over Flamengo (BRA) in the Third-Place Game of the Final Four held at Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the club’s first medal in the competition after three appearances, and the second overall for Uruguayan teams following Biguá’s silver medal in Season 3. This strong result also adds to the South American Basketball League title won by the organization in 2024.
Turning point
Nacional asserted their dominance from the opening tip against a Flamengo side that arrived at the Final Four as defending champion, but left with two disappointing performances. The second quarter proved decisive for Nacional, who used a 31–10 run to take a 54–26 lead into halftime— a margin that was already steep.
Player of the game
Americans Erik Thomas (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Connor Zinaich (18 points, 6 rebounds) led the offense for the winners, while Bernardo Barrera added 15 points.
Shaquille Johnson finished with 15 points for Flamengo and became the fifth-leading scorer in competition history by reaching 631 career points, surpassing Ismael Romero. Markeith Cummings added 13 points, while Gui Deodato scored 10 to reach 601 career points in BCL Americas and become the seventh player to surpass that mark.
Stats don’t lie
The 29-point margin was Flamengo’s worst defeat in BCL Americas history. Their previous largest loss had been by 25 points against Boca Juniors the year before. Nacional shot 54 percent from the field (35-of-65). In the first half alone, they made an impressive 65 percent (20-of-31). Flamengo, meanwhile, finished at 30 percent shooting (21-of-69), relying heavily on the three-point shot, where it went 13-of-47. Nacional’s dominance in the paint was overwhelming at 46–14, including 30–4 in the first half.
Bottom line
During Season 7 of BCL Americas, Nacional defeated Flamengo four times, three in the Group Phase and once more here. The Uruguayan club lost only one game in 10 appearances. Flamengo has reached the Final Four in six of the seven seasons. Out of the six, this marks the first time the team failed to finish on the podium.
FIBA