BOGOTA (2015 Liga Sudamericana) - Mathias Calfani and Reque Newsome put on a show at times for Uruguay at this summer's FIBA Americas Championship.

Now the duo is raising eyebrows in the 2015 DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana.

The two players have fired Malvin into the Semi-Final Round of the competition, leading them to victories over Obras Sanitarias (79-64), Bolivians Vikingos (67-47) and Piratas de Bogota (88-71).

Malvin, who made it all the way to the Final Four of the competition last year, set the tone for a perfect Group B campaign with Tuesday's triumph over Obras.

Calfani had 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks and Newsome contributed 10 points.

Obras (2-1) also progressed, with Piratas (1-2) and Vikingos (0-3) bowing out of the competition.

While Malvin moved into the next phase of the competition with relative ease, coach Pablo Lopez says there were indications in Group B that better basketball is being played all over the continent.

The level of basketball in this competition is still growing. What this Bolivia club has done in this group is an example. - Lopez

"National leagues are responsible for this growth," Lopez said.

"Argentina improved its competition this year, Brazil continues to evolve and the rest of the countries are increasingly looking better."

Obras guard Selem Safar raised eyebrows in Bogota this week.

He and Juan Gutierrez had 18 points apiece in the club's second game on Wednesday, a 106-82 demolition of Piratas.

It remains the thing that we have the most to work at, the defense. - Safar

"We are a team that can score many points offensively," said Safar, who last month helped Argentina reach the Final of the FIBA Americas Championship to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

"We have many players who have that ability and if we play well and we remain uninhibited in attack, we can do well.

"In this game we still did not defend well and in the few games we have played in the season, it is the thing that we have to improve."

Obras also won their game against Vikingos, 88-42, to wrap up second place in the group.

Go to www.fibaamericas.com for full coverage of the 2015 DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana.

FIBA