New coach starts as Flamengo hit 100+ v União Corinthians in NBB last 16 | OneFootball

Playing at Maracanãzinho, Flamengo took a 1-0 lead in the NBB round of 16 best-of-five series

It was playoff opening day and also the first game under the new head coach. In Game 1 of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) round of 16, Flamengo beat União Corinthians 102-72 and now holds the advantage in the race for a spot in the quarterfinals. This Wednesday’s (22) matchup took place at Maracanãzinho, in Rio de Janeiro.

Now, Flamengo hopes to wrap up the series at Ginásio Arnão, in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), where União Corinthians will host Games 2 and 3. The next game will be on Saturday (25) at 6 p.m. (Brasília time), and the third meeting will take place on Monday (27) at 7 p.m. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 will be played in Rio de Janeiro.

HOW DID THE GAME GO?

Flamengo took the court still feeling the effects of the embarrassment in the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League Americas last weekend in Argentina. After heavy defeats to Boca Juniors (ARG) and Nacional (URU), Mengão finished in fourth place and decided to dismiss head coach Sérgio “Oveja” Hernández. As a result, Fernando Pereira made his debut in charge of the team at Maracanãzinho.

After finishing fifth in the regular season, Flamengo entered the game as a heavy favorite against União Corinthians. But that is not how the matchup began. The first quarter, for example, was completely even, and the teams were tied at 23-23.

In the second period, with strong contributions from Kayo and Gui Deodato, Flamengo managed to open up a five-point lead: 28-23. With that, the teams went into the locker room with Mengão ahead 51-46. However, the Rubro-Negro performance was disappointing, especially on defense.

After the break, Flamengo finally showed up. With strong defense, combined with a real show from Argentine player Negrete on offense, Mengão all but decided the contest in the third period: 23-15 in the quarter, and 74-61 on the overall scoreboard. That meant a 13-point lead.

In the last quarter, Flamengo turned in an exciting performance. The best player of the game and top scorer with 30 points, Negrete kept putting on a show on the court and played a decisive role in helping the “Pride of the Nation” break the 100-point mark in the first round-of-16 clash.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.