The paint lines at Quimsa's gymnasium in Santiago del Estero were awash in red and black on Saturday night. With a strong performance in the so-called "painted zone," Flamengo easily defeated Chile's Inacap, 111-73. The team scored 39 rebounds, including nine from Atila, the game's leading rebounder, compared to just 20 for the Chileans, and scored 56 points in the paint compared to 14 for their opponents. Flamengo played without point guard Duda, who suffered an ankle injury in the game against Malvin. Puerto Rican Villegas, from Inacap, led the scorer with 26 points. For Flamengo, Marcelinho scored 22.

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The top two teams in the group will advance to the next stage, which will be played at the end of November, with the venue yet to be determined. This Sunday (October 31.10st), Flamengo will conclude its participation in the first stage of the League against Quimsa (ARG), at 23 pm (Brasília time). If Quimsa beats Malvin this Saturday, Flamengo will qualify.

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Flamengo's strong defense was its main weapon in the first half. In the first quarter, the team took an 8-0 lead. The lead remained around eight points (21-13), and by the end, Inacap had pulled even closer: 21-18. Flamengo ended the quarter at 25-18. With an efficient counterattack and a still-strong defense, Flamengo kept the Chileans at bay at the start of the second quarter and took a 20-point lead (38-18). Only five minutes later did Inacap score their first goal of the quarter, on a set piece: 38-19. The Rio de Janeiro team managed to hold onto their lead until the end: 51-28.

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Even with a healthy lead, Flamengo didn't relax and continued to dominate the second half. The lead reached 32 points in the third quarter (74-32), and with no playmaking options, Inacap couldn't score. Flamengo won the fourth quarter 78-49. In the final quarter, the lead increased to 40 points (101-61), and from then on, it was just a matter of maintaining the advantage to win 111-73.

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Duda's replacement in the match, Guto was one of the team's standouts. The point guard, who played for Flamengo for 10 years (from ages 13 to 23), returned to the club after four years with other teams.

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"Flamengo took the court today with a different energy, and we showed that we have a great squad, ready to take on responsibilities. I'm very happy to be back at Flamengo; it's like coming home. I started at Flamengo and learned everything here," celebrated Guto.

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Coach Paulo Chupeta praised the team's defense. "I think it was our main weapon," he said.

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Flamengo started with Marcelinho (22), Helio (11), Guto (13), Teichmann (13) and Babby (12). Entered: Átila (8), Fred (9), Jefferson (11) and Wagner (12)