With a final minute of cheering from the fans, Flamengo defeated Brasília, its biggest rival, 93-80 this Sunday (March 27.03) at Tijuca Tênis Clube, in the 13th round of the second round of the NBB (New Basketball Brazil). With the result, the red-and-black team returned to the top of the competition, tied with Pinheiros, with 19 wins in 26 matches (73,08% success rate). In the head-to-head, the first tiebreaker, the São Paulo team has the upper hand, having won both games.

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It was Flamengo's first victory over Brasília in the 2010/2011 season. Their rivals had already won in the South American League final in November of last year and in the first round of the NBB in February.

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Forward Marcelinho was Flamengo's standout performer, with a double-double (27 points and 11 rebounds). Brasília's point guard Alex was the game's top scorer with 29 points.

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"We entered the court treating the match like a playoff. Now we need to win the next two matches to achieve our goal, which is to finish top," said Marcelinho.

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Closing the qualifying phase, Flamengo has two more challenges away from home: on 01.04, against São José, and on 03.04, against Limeira.

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Despite playing without center Bábby, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder (he will be sidelined for about 20 days), Flamengo maintained control of the match throughout. With a stellar performance, especially defensively, Flamengo kept Brasília in check. After winning the first quarter 20-12, Flamengo went into halftime with a five-point lead: 34-29.

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In the second half, the team opened up a 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter: 66-56. In the final quarter, Flamengo gave their rivals no chance, and they resorted to fouls: Arthur and Nezinho were both eliminated with 5 fouls. In the end, Flamengo won 93-80.
"I've been at Flamengo for four years and I have the trust of my teammates when I come in. This makes me always try to surpass myself," said center Wagner, who replaced Bábby. "Now we'll approach the next two games as a decisive game," he added.

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Flamengo started with: Marcelinho (27), Hélio (13), Duda (11), Teichmann (10) and Wagner (4). Entered: Fred (4), Jefferson (9), Átila (3) and David Teague (12). 
 
PHOTO CREDIT: Alexandre Vidal / Fla imagem