After a 23-day absence from the New Basketball Brazil (NBB), Flamengo returned to the competition with a 20-point victory on Thursday night (March 19). The red-and-black team traveled to Fortaleza and maintained its record of never having lost to Basquete Cearense: the scoreboard at Ginásio Paulo Sarasate was 89-63 for the Mais Querido after 40 minutes. With this result, the team reached 42 points and remains in the fight to finish in the top four of the standings and qualify directly for the quarterfinals, skipping the round of 16. To achieve this, the team still relies solely on its own strength, without needing to combine results.

Scoring over 20 points in every quarter, Flamengo was superior throughout. Individual highlights included forwards Marquinhos and Benite, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. Olivinha, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, achieved a double-double.

Flamengo's next NBB match will be in the federal capital against Brasília, this Saturday (21.03), at 11 am.

In the opening minutes, Flamengo managed to open up a lead. Capitalizing on a series of mistakes by their rivals, the red-and-black team went on a quick 7-0 run and opened up an 11-4 lead in just over three minutes of play. As the first quarter progressed, Basquete Cearense improved offensively, but Flamengo dominated the rebounds and benefited from Benite's excellent introduction. They closed the period at 21-16. 

In the second quarter, the opponent evened the score and managed to reduce the deficit to just one point (26-25). But the Rubro-Negro did not give in: with Benite still standing out, the team did not allow the comeback and, after a timeout by José Neto, took off: with three-point shots from Marquinhos and Herrmann, the current two-time NBB champions scored eight points against just two from their opponents in the final stretch of the quarter and went to the locker room with a ten-point lead (42-32).

Flamengo came back from halftime strong and managed to extend its lead even further. To achieve this, the team relied on Marquinhos's accurate three-point shooting. With three hits on three long-range attempts, the forward shone in the third quarter. After winning the quarter 26-14, Flamengo went into the final ten minutes with a commanding 22-point lead: 68-46. The pace of the game remained the same in the final period. Olivinha and Felício excelled in the red-and-black paint and kept the team comfortably ahead until the final shot clock expired. 

Partials:
1st bedroom: Flamengo 21 x 16 Ceará Basketball
2st bedroom:  Flamengo 21 x 16 Ceará Basketball
3st bedroom:  Flamengo 26 x 14 Ceará Basketball
4st bedroom:  Flamengo 21 x 17 Ceará Basketball
Final score:  Flamengo 89 x 63 Ceará Basketball