Boca Survives with 99-92 Victory Over Quimsa, Forces Game 4

Boca defeated Quimsa 99-92 in Santiago del Estero. With the victory, they avoided elimination and will play Game 4 on Sunday. Quimsa leads the semifinal 2-1. Robinson was the leading scorer for the visitors with 20 points.

With a furious start, Boca made it clear they would fight hard. Smith was unstoppable, scoring 10 points in three minutes; Faggiano stole and ran for a 14-2 lead in 4 minutes. Lema and Figueredo were uncomfortable for the visitors. Victoriano decided to replace them with Orresta and Collomb.

On Casalanguida's side, the rotation was to give rest to the starting unit. The trend continued until the end of the period with a score of 30-17. Quimsa woke up quickly in the second quarter. With three-pointers from Johnson and Robinson, they got within five: 32-27 at the 8-minute mark. Casalanguida called a timeout for Boca. The home team managed to control their anxiety, controlled the pace of the game, and built an eleven-point lead with a running three-pointer from Cuello: 45-34. Quimsa pressed full-court defense. Despite complicating the opponent's offensive flow, Boca closed the half 51-38.

Smith and Lema had their duel throughout the game, with technical fouls exchanged. Smith tried to resume his hot start. Lema defended him to the limit of a foul. In the paint, Caffaro also had his battles with Meyinsse and Johnson. The game became choppy due to fouls and the difficulty of creating offense against the physical defenses employed.

Faggiano put it at 61-48 with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter, and midway through the period, Caffaro marked the game's largest lead at 65-51. Quimsa returned to full-court defense, forcing some turnovers from the home team. They closed to within three, ending the quarter with a three-pointer from Collomb for 73-67.

Smith's friction continued in the final period. On a Quimsa possession, Smith collided with Collomb. Both reacted poorly, and even Victoriano had complaints with the referees. The result: Victoriano and Smith were ejected.

From that moment on, the referees were more vigilant, calling the game more strictly. The discomfort affected Boca, and the visitors capitalized with points off steals. With 5:43 remaining, Quimsa cut it to six: 86-80. They came within one possession on two occasions, but Boca's relief came in the form of Barreiro.

He ran, stole, defended, and scored to keep Boca ahead 95-89. A two-pointer and foul from Robinson made it 95-92 with 53 seconds left. The visitors had a chance to tie, but Robinson missed. Caffaro with a dunk and two free throws from Scala sealed the 99-92 victory for the home team.

Boca 99: Faggiano 11, Vega 10, Smith 16, Giorgetti 3, Caffaro 17; Scala 9, Cuello 14, Stenta 0, Langston 6, Barreiro 13

Quimsa 92: Figueredo 5, Lema 3, Robinson 20, Meyinsse 5, Johnson 16; Orresta 4, Collomb 7, Freeman 11, Ruesga 16, Solanas 6