Corinthians edge Instituto Viva Vida, stay perfect in the LDB | OneFootball

Corinthians U-22 earned another win in the 2026 Basketball Development League (LDB). On Monday afternoon (22), the black-and-white team defeated Instituto Viva Vida, from Espírito Santo, 83-82 in a game played at Ginásio Felipe Karam, in Rio Claro, in the countryside of São Paulo.

The result kept Timãozinho perfect in the national competition, with two wins in two games played. Wesley Aguiar’s team had opened its campaign with a victory over Cruzeiro, 84-69.

Photo: Reproduction / Instagram

The match against Instituto Viva Vida was marked by balance and Corinthians’ need to respond. The opponent started better and ended the first quarter ahead 24-15. Corinthians managed to cut the deficit before halftime and came back for the second half looking more competitive.

In the final period, the team from Espírito Santo opened up an eight-point lead, mainly by taking advantage of long-range shots. Timão, however, fought back in the closing minutes and counted on a decisive performance from Matheus Jamelão, who made important free throws to complete the comeback and secure the win by just one point.

Among the individual standouts was center Lukinhas. The player repeated his opening-game performance and recorded another double-double, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

Jamelão also played an important role in the positive result. The point guard finished the game with 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while also delivering key moments late in the game.

With the victory, Corinthians remains at the top of its group in the first stage of the LDB. At this stage of the competition, the 24 participants were divided into two groups of 12 teams, which also have subdivisions of six teams each.

The initial format features matchups between teams from different subgroups within the same group. In the second stage, the teams begin facing opponents from their own subgroup.

Corinthians’ group in this first stage includes, besides Instituto Viva Vida and Cruzeiro, Minas, Basquete Cearense, Brasília, and Caxias do Sul. The opening-stage games are being played between June 21 and 27 in Rio Claro.

After the first two stages, the top-ranked teams advance to the decisive phases of the competition. The top four from each group will play in the Gold Series, which will determine the season champion, while the teams ranked between fifth and eighth place move on to the Silver Series.

Corinthians’ next LDB game takes place this Tuesday (23) at 1:30 p.m. (Brasília time), once again at Ginásio Felipe Karam. The opponent will be Minas.

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