It wasn't easy, but Brasília secured its spot in the next stage of the final hexagonal of the South American Basketball League. The team from the federal capital had to sweat, especially in the third quarter, but defeated Venezuela's Espartanos 83-79 and sealed its ticket to this Saturday's (November 27.11) semifinals as the leader of its group. Guilherme, with 19 points, was the top scorer. Quimsa, from Argentina, qualified in second place in the group.

Led by Alex's three-pointers and Lucas Tischer's excellent play in the paint, the Brasilia team dominated the first quarter and quickly opened up a lead. The Brazilians took a 16-point lead and comfortably took a 29-13 lead in the first 10 minutes.

But the lull began to turn into balance in the following quarter. The Spartans began to press harder and, with Americans Freeman and Smith inspired in the paint, cut the deficit in half, closing the second quarter at 47-39. The Venezuelan team's strong performance continued in the third quarter, when the Spartans came out on the court very focused and were down by just one point (49-48).

However, Brasília's experience made the difference. With Alex's composure and two consecutive three-pointers from Rossi, the team opened up a 63-53 lead. In the final quarter, the Venezuelan team continued to pursue the capital team, but nothing to scare the reigning Brazilian champions, who won 83-79, a result praised by Guilherme.

"We knew it would be a tough match; after all, it was a matter of life and death for them. But we stayed focused, played a good game, and now it's time to go back to the hotel, rest, and keep an eye on our opponent. It could be Flamengo, once again, this great rivalry in Brazilian basketball, and hopefully it can be two teams from our country deciding the match," he said.

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Brasília: Arthur (18), Alex (11), Guilherme (19), Rossi (8), Nezinho (13), Cipriano (3) and Tischer (11).
Spartans: Leon (13), Romero (8), Bolivar (2), Viloria (13), Gil (1), Smith (6), Rivas (22), Eligon (1), Freeman (11) and Evias (2).