Flamengo was defeated by Franca in the best-of-five final series of the New Basketball Brazil (NBB). On Thursday night (13), playing at Maracanãzinho, the red-black team lost 69-59 and the series ended 3-1 for the Franca team. Despite the negative result, Gui Deodato was the highlight of the Gávea team, with a double-double and the highest score of the match.

The match also marked Olivinha's farewell to the court. The eternal "God of the Race" of FlaBasquete ended his career and was honored by the squad - all players wore the captain's number 16 jersey after the match.

Match Highlights

Points - Deodato (19), Balbi (16)

Rebounds - Deodato (11), Jaú (7)

Assists - Deodato (6), Scott Machado (3)

The game

The match started with both teams having trouble shooting. The first basket came just three minutes into the game, on a three-pointer by Márcio for Franca. Flamengo's first points soon followed, with Deodato and Balbi each scoring two. The Argentine was the one who turned the score in Flamengo's favor for the first time, with a basket and a foul, hitting the bonus free throw (7-6), but the first period ended with the Franca team ahead (9-13).

It was again with Balbi that Mais Querido got closer to the scoreboard (13-13), in a beautiful counterattack that excited the Nation that filled the stands. The game remained balanced until Franca opened a seven-point lead (16-21), just over three minutes before halftime. With 1:24 left in the quarter, Devon Scott, from the free throw line, left Mengão just one point down (22-23), but Lucas Dias connected from the perimeter seconds before the clock expired: 22-26.

Franca maintained their lead in the third quarter, outperforming the Gávea team, which struggled to find its feet on perimeter shots throughout the match. The gap between the teams widened, and Flamengo was unable to recover in time to turn the score around.

Starting Quintet

Franco Balbi, Gui Deodato, Didi Louzada, Gabriel Jaú, Devon Scott

Coach: Gustavo De Conti.