On Monday night (12.05), the red-black fans attended the Tijuca Tênis Clube gym to push the team to the first victory of the best-of-five series against Mogi das Cruzes, in the semifinal of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). The highlights of the Flamengo team were Marquinhos, top scorer of the match with 24 points, Olivinha, with 13 rebounds and seven points, and Gegê, with three assists.

 

Nico opened the scoring for Flamengo with a two-pointer. With Flamengo up 11-6, the scoring stopped. With just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, Mogi tied the score at 14-14. The score showed the two teams were evenly matched in the quarter: 20-19. The second period started with Mogi's momentum, opening a small lead, but with a steal followed by a layup, Gegê leveled the score at 24-24. Mogi opened a four-point lead, but Nico turned it around to 30-28. The Argentine had an inspired end to the quarter, scoring a three-pointer from halfcourt to make it 38-32 to Flamengo just after 24 seconds. The fans in the stands erupted. The last points of the quarter also came from the Argentine point guard, scoring another three-pointer, making it 41-35 to Flamengo.

 

Back on the court, Flamengo opened a 10-point lead with a three-pointer from Marcelinho three minutes into the game: 48-38. The largest lead to that point, 61-47, was built with the help of two fouls on Marcelinho, totaling six bonus free throws – all converted by the captain – in addition to Marquinhos's first three-pointer of the game. The forward would score another before the end of the third quarter, which ended with Flamengo ahead: 68-57. It was with another three-pointer from Marquinhos that the final period began. Shilton's subsequent dunk energized the crowd and the team, which maintained its 11-point lead. With four minutes remaining, Gegê again connected with a steal and a layup, rallying the crowd to play. The Nation responded by increasing the volume in the gym.

"It was a game as we expected, very close. Even though we controlled the match from start to finish, they were always close. This shows that we have to be very careful in the series. The first game is always very important, it's great to start with a win, but in the playoffs, we always have to forget what happened and focus only on the next one. On Wednesday, we should have an even tougher game," said Marcelinho.

Click here and secure your tickets for the second match of the semi-final series.