Flamengo secured its second victory in the second round of the 2009-2010 New Basketball Brazil season this Sunday morning. With a strong performance from the trio of Fred, Helio, and Marcelinho—together, they scored 58 points—coach Paulo Chupeta's team comfortably defeated bottom-of-the-table Saldanha da Gama, 90-65, away from home. The top scorer of the match was number 4, who scored 23 points. Fred scored 20, and Hélio, 15.

\

From the start of the game, Flamengo proved its superiority. The red-and-blacks took an early lead in the first quarter, winning 23-17, and never relinquished the lead. Led by the trio, the team from Gávea only increased its point difference. In the second quarter, they led 25-16 and went into the locker room with a 48-33 lead, which could have led to a certain relaxation upon returning from the locker room. However, this did not happen. Flamengo continued to press strongly, and with a tactical change in the defensive system, which switched to man-to-man defense instead of zone defense, the team played its best game, and, coming out with great speed on the counterattacks, had no trouble securing the victory.

\

"João (Batista) watched Saldanha's game on Friday, and they didn't perform well against São José's zonal marking, and so we decided to start playing like that too, but it ended up not working out very well, so we changed to individual play, which is our strength, and then the team adjusted better," explained coach Paulo Chupeta. 

\

The result could not have been any different: the lead only grew. The team opened up an eight-point lead in the third quarter, and in the final quarter, they barely managed to hold on to their advantage, closing the game at 90-65. Another positive note was point guard Duda, who, despite being attacked in the last round by Vila Velha center Manuil, suffered no injuries and was able to return to play. The number 10 also scored six points.

\

Saldanha da Gama 65 x 96 Flamengo

1st quarter - Saldanha da Gama 17 x 23 Flamengo
2st quarter - Saldanha da Gama 16 x 25 Flamengo
3st quarter - Saldanha da Gama 12 x 26 Flamengo
4st quarter - Saldanha da Gama 20 x 22 Flamengo

Scorers

Saldanha da Gama - A. Vega (18 points), Costa (10), Casé (08), Andre (06), Roberto (05), Munoz (05), João (05), De Jesus (04), Diego (03), Moslev (01)

Flamengo - Marcelinho (29), Fred (20), Helio (15), Jefferson (08), Alírio (08), Duda (06), Wagner (06), Teichmann (04), Vitor (00)