Let your heart race! With a thrilling victory over Universidad de Concepción of Chile, FlaBasquete is guaranteed a spot in the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA). Those who were at Maracanãzinho on Thursday night (9) were treated to a true heart test, watching the match that was decided in the final seconds, in a thrilling sequence of possessions, and ended 88 to 86 for the Most Beloved.

The opponent for a place in the grand final of the international competition will be Minas, an old acquaintance of Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), on the day April 14, location yet to be determined. The Brazilian team also advanced with a 2-0 in their series, overcoming Libertadores de Querétaro.

Stay tuned and don't miss the Pride of the Nation's next home games! Tickets are always on sale at flamengo.superingresso.com.br. Be our Sixth Player!

Highlights

Points - Fischer (19), Jaú (18), Aguirre (15), Cuello (15)

Rebounds - Jaú (12), Mineiro (6), Aguirre (6), Cuello (6)

Assists - Fischer (8), Cuello (4)

The game

The first half of the match belonged to UdeC. Flamengo opened the scoring with a Ricardo Fischer shot on a platter, but took a while to find the basket again and couldn't hold off the Chileans' offensive momentum, who opened up a large lead in the first two quarters, with good field goal shooting. The red-and-black comeback gained momentum in the final moments of the second period. Gui Deodato reignited the team and fans with a steal that ended in a fantastic dunk just before the halftime clock. Flamengo went into the locker room trailing 44-32.

Deodato returned with the same energy for the third period and, alongside Fischer and Aguirre, was one of the team's standouts. The team continued its relentless pursuit of the opponent, but with good aim and intensity, UdeC maintained its advantage. With a growing momentum, the Rubro-Negro won the set (26-24).

In the fourth quarter, Jaú's basket from the paint marked a key moment for Flamengo, which fell just seven points behind its opponent. Two consecutive Argentine three-pointers, from Aguirre and Cuello, lifted the nation in the Maracanãzinho stands, with the score at 70-74 with seven minutes remaining. The match continued back and forth, and Flamengo was feisty on every possession.

With twelve seconds remaining, three points from a tie, Ricardo Fischer scored, was fouled, converted the bonus free throw, and tied the score: 85-85. With six seconds remaining, UdeC occupied the free throw line but only made one shot. Gustavo De Conti called a timeout, passed the play to go for the win, and on the court, a fantastic comeback materialized. Gabriel Jaú grabbed the rebound in the paint and, already off balance, hit the basket and was fouled, putting Orgulho da Nação ahead (87-86). To top it all off, the number 9 also converted the bonus throw. A spectacular comeback by Mengão and resilience rewarded with qualification.

A série

At this stage of the competition, each match is decided in a best-of-three series. Rubro-Negro closed 2-0, with the convincing victory achieved last Sunday (5), by 92 to 64, and with tonight's triumph, with a completely different script, decided at the end of the clock, with an electrifying sequence of possessions.

Starting Quintet

Ricardo Fischer, Lucas Martinez, Loku Cuello, Gabriel Jaú and Rafael Mineiro.

Coach: Gustavo De Conti

Next appointment

FlaBasquete takes a short break from official competitions to hold the New Basketball Brazil (NBB) All-Star Game, which starts next Monday (13) and runs until Sunday (19), in Belo Horizonte, at Arena UniBH. Check out the full schedule by clicking here!

In the final stretch of the NBB qualifying phase, the team returns to the court on March 21, against Cerrado, at 20 pm, and then heads to Brasília to face the team with the same name as the national capital, on the 23rd, at 19:15 pm.