BAURU LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST STRUGGLING ULBRA IN NBB CLASH

RIO CLARO, Brazil (Interstat) — A Bauru team seeking to solidify its playoff positioning will visit a reeling Ulbra squad when the Brazilian NBB season continues Thursday at Ginásio Felipe Karam.

Bauru (17-14) enters the contest looking to rebound from a narrow 91-87 home loss to league power Franca on April 6. Despite the defeat, guard Matheus Eugeniusz was brilliant, scoring 22 points with six rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes. Eugeniusz has been a key barometer for Bauru; in his last four games, the team won both contests where he scored 24 and 22 points, but lost the two where he was held to five points each.

Ulbra (9-25), mired near the bottom of the standings, is coming off a 92-82 home loss to Franca on Sunday. Guard Fermin Thygesen led the way in that game with 22 points and four assists. Thygesen has shown scoring flashes, including a 22-point performance against Franca, but Ulbra has lost five of its last six games overall.

The teams last met on Dec. 22, 2025, with Bauru securing an 84-68 home victory.

Bauru’s recent form has been inconsistent, mixing dominant wins like a 107-70 rout of Cearense with puzzling losses, including an overtime defeat to Mogi das Cruzes. Their offense, however, has frequently been potent, surpassing 90 points in eight of their last 12 games.

Ulbra has struggled to find consistency all season, particularly on the defensive end. Their lone win in the last month was a 78-70 road victory over Pato Basquete on April 6. They have not won consecutive games since early March.

For Bauru, the focus will be on Eugeniusz maintaining his high-level scoring to complement a supporting cast that includes guard Dontrell Brite and center Andre Barbosa, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the last meeting with Franca. Ulbra will need another efficient night from Thygesen and more support from forwards like Stan Scott to keep pace.

The game tips off at 8 p.m. local time (2300 GMT). Bauru’s next game is a quick turnaround at UNICEUB on Saturday.