Boca Juniors picks up first win in blowout fashion

RIO DE JANEIRO (Brazil) – After losing in heartbreaking fashion to Flamengo on Sunday, Boca Juniors recovered to hand Toros de Chiriquí a 92-71 blowout victory Monday night at Tijuca Tenis Clube.

The Argentinian squad started slowly in the first half before unleashing a storm of three-pointers to overwhelm their first-time opponents.

Turning point

After finishing the opening period tied at 22, Boca started the second quarter on an 11-2 run to take control of the game.

Minutes later, they uncorked another 13-0 run to push their lead above 20 points, breaking the game open and ensuring a pleasant voyage to victory.

Toros fought valiantly in the fourth and Joshua Lemon had a chance to cut the deficit to single digits with under 7 minutes to go, but his three-pointer missed and Boca pulled away late.

Player of the game

Facundo Piñero went 4-for-11 from downtown to lead Boca with 16 points. He also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists for an 18-efficiency rating.

Andrés Ibargüen (16 points), Marcos Delía (12) and Sebastián Vega (11) also scored in double digits, while point guards José Vildoza and Santiago Scala combined for 15 assists.

Gregory Foster (20 points on 9-for-15 from the field) led the way for Toros. George Williams added 18, while 44-year-old Panamanian legend Jaime Lloreda contributed 10 points and 8 boards.

Stats don’t lie

Boca had a mind-blowing 34 assists on 35 made baskets, and their spectacular ball movement was reflected in the final score.

The Argentinians outscored Toros 44-30 in the paint and shot 12-for-33 from beyond the arc on a night where they shot 50.7 percent from the field and only had 8 turnovers.

They also held their opponents below 38 percent from the field.

Bottom line

With the win, Boca improved to 1-1 in Group B and boast a very healthy point differential of +19.

Meanwhile, Toros will face hosts Flamengo on Tuesday to wrap up the group’s first stage of the 2024-25 Basketball Champions League Americas.

FIBA