On Thursday night (10.12), FlaBasquete played a very balanced game against Pinheiros, but was unable to secure victory at home, at the Hélio Maurício gymnasium, in Gávea. Winning the first and last quarters and trailing by just one point in the third quarter, the Rubro-Negro team let victory slip away in the second period, when their opponents closed the half at 24-16.

Among José Neto's players, the standout on the court was Marquinhos, the game's top scorer with 25 points. Jerome Meyinsse, with eight, was just one point away from reaching 1,000 in the New Basketball Brazil (NBB).

Despite the negative result, Orgulho da Nação remains in third place, just behind leaders Paulistano and Bauru. Flamengo's next match will be in Belo Horizonte, against Minas, on Tuesday (15/12). Still away from home, the team heads to the federal capital, for the classic against Brasília, on Thursday (17/12), with live coverage on SporTV.

The game
Three minutes into the match, Flamengo took a 10-0 lead, but Pinheiros fought back and closed the first quarter trailing by four points (20-16). Buoyed by this comeback, their opponent came back strong in the second quarter and turned the game around before halftime (40-36). In the following quarters, Flamengo chased the win and kept the match extremely even (19-20 and 24-23), but were unable to take the lead again.

Partials:
1st quarter: Flamengo 20 x 16 Pinheiros
2st quarter: Flamengo 16 x 24 Pinheiros
3st quarter: Flamengo 19 x 20 Pinheiros
4st quarter: Flamengo 24 x 23 Pinheiros
Total score: Flamengo 79 x 83 Pinheiros