On Saturday night (01.03), the Mais Querido maintained its unbeaten run in the League of the Americas in a clash between Brazilian teams. In Xalapa, Mexico, Flamengo defeated Uberlândia 101-81 and, with Halcones' victory over Cocodrilos, secured an unprecedented spot in the League of the Americas Final Four in advance. Olivinha achieved a double-double, being the top scorer for the Rubro-Negro, with 23 points, and the top rebounder, with 10 rebounds. Laprovittola was the leader in assists, with eight.

 

Marquinhos stood out in the first quarter, putting in a strong performance. Laprovittola and Olivinha, with seven points each, were Flamengo's top scorers in the fourth quarter. The match was very even, with both teams scoring back and forth, but by the end of the quarter, the Minas Gerais team closed with a single-point lead: 25-24. Flamengo improved defensively in the second quarter, and the game picked up pace. Olivinha remained a key player in the game and went into halftime as the Rubro-Negro's top scorer with 16 points, in addition to accumulating six rebounds. Flamengo took the lead and went into the second half leading 6-45.

 

The third quarter started off fast. Marquinhos, flying and calibrated with his three-pointers, was close to Olivinha for points. Flamengo became more comfortable in the match and opened up a 16-point lead. Felício, Shilton, Gegê, and Washam, always coming off the bench, delivered. Overall, by the end of the third quarter, the reserves had 23 points compared to 11 from Uberlândia's bench.

 

Mais Querido plays against the hosts of group E, Halcones de Xalapa, this Sunday (02.03), at 23:15 pm, Brasília time, to fulfill the fixture list. The two teams are already classified as the top two in the group and advance to the final quadrangular.

Updated on: 02.03.2014, at 11am