Flamengo was unable to overcome São José and lost the second match of the NBB7 series by 82 to 76. Despite the support of the red-black fans at Tijuca Tênis Clube, this Saturday (25.04), the Rubro-Negro was unable to overcome the opponent in the final minutes. With the tie in the best-of-five series, José Neto's team goes to the Lineu de Moura gym on Tuesday (28.04) to try to regain the advantage. Winger Marquinhos was the red-black's top scorer with 22 points.

"Our loss to São José was largely theirs. I think they knew how to play against us and took advantage of the chances we didn't. They were very efficient. Offensively, they have players who know how to make decisions, and we needed to play really well to win. And we didn't play well. They deserved the win," said coach José Neto at the end of the match.

Flamengo started the game imposing its pace and pressing hard against a São José side that also entered the fray. The team won the first half by just one point. In the second quarter, São José came back strong and managed to build a six-point lead. The Red-Blacks went into halftime trailing 35-41.

In the return match, São Paulo won the set 22-16. In the final quarter, the team fought until the final minutes, but missed shots, allowing São José to extend their lead in the final minutes. "It was a tough loss. We couldn't repeat our performance from the first game. We played poor defense, conceded 82 points, and we knew that if we didn't play well, we were at great risk. Now it's time to work to get the win in São José and try to bring the series back to Rio de Janeiro or finish it off there. It's tough in São José, with a crowd that always packs the gym, so we have to stay focused, keep a clear head, and know that just like they won one here, we can win one there. Nothing's lost," revealed Olivinha, who completed 250 games with the Sacred Mantle.

1st Quarter: 21 to 20

2st Quarter: 14 to 21

3st Quarter: 22 to 16

4st Quarter: 19 to 25