San Pablo Burgos wins FIBA Intercontinental Cup

San Pablo Burgos made a strong start in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup final on Sunday and withstood Quimsa’s comeback effort in the second half, winning 82-73 in Buenos Aires.

Winning coach Joan Peñarroya’s team built a 56-32 lead by halftime and benefited from tournament MVP Vitor Benite’s stellar shooting. The Brazilian guard canned five 3-pointers in a 19-point effort.

“You have to give credit to Quimsa,” Benite commented after the game. “We did incredible in the first half, but they have a lot of quality and it was difficult to maintain that lead.”

Omar Cook handed out nine assists to initiate the San Pablo Burgos offense. Thad McFadden poured in 16 points with five assists. Dejan Kravic and Ken Horton scored 12 points apiece. Teammate Jasiel Rivero finished with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards). Former NBA guard Cook, now 39, also recorded three steals.

“I’m happy because we achieved the goal,” Benite declared at Estadio Obras Sanitarias in the Argentine capital. “On this team, everyone can contribute.”

For Quimsa, Brandon Robinson had a game-high 25 points on 8-for-18 shooting. Alejandro Diez had 11 points and Pablo Granajo and Diamon Simpson each scored nine. Simpson also pulled down 10 rebounds. Fabian Ramirez swatted four shots.

Second-half comeback

Quimsa, which fell behind by 26 points in the third quarter, pulled within five in the fourth quarter. It was too little, too late, though.

Solid position for San Pablo Burgos

Benite’s team is 15-6 and in sixth place in Spain’s Liga Endesa. Real Madrid (20-1) is in first place and FC Barcelona (18-3) is in second place.

San Pablo Burgos is back in action on Feb. 11 with a Copa del Rey quarterfinal clash with Iberostar Tenerife.

Last year’s result

In February 2020, Spain’s Iberostar Tenerife defeated Italy’s Segafredo Virtus Bologna 80-72 in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup final.