BAURU SEEKS CONTINUED MOMENTUM AGAINST STRUGGLING VASCO DA GAMA

RIO DE JANEIRO (Interstat) — A surging Bauru squad looks to climb back to .500 when it visits the struggling Vasco da Gama in a Brazilian Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) matchup Monday at Ginásio São Januário.

Bauru (10-11) enters on a two-game winning streak, including a dominant 105-90 victory over Minas on Feb. 10. The visiting side has won three of its last four, showing marked improvement after a slow start to the season.

Vasco da Gama (4-19), meanwhile, seeks to halt a two-game skid and find consistency in a difficult campaign. Its last outing was a narrow 74-72 home loss to São José on Feb. 11.

The game features a compelling individual matchup between in-form guards. Bauru is led by Alex Ribeiro Garcia, who is averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 assists over his last four games. He erupted for 29 points and 8 assists in the win over Minas.

Vasco da Gama will counter with center Thiago Mathias, who is coming off a 15-point, 6-rebound performance against São José. His interior presence will be key against a Bauru team that has scored 105 and 80 points in its last two victories.

Bauru’s recent success has been fueled by balanced scoring. In the win over Minas, Jose Materan added 23 points and Dontrell Brite contributed 19 points and 5 assists alongside Garcia’s standout performance.

Vasco da Gama’s Guillherme Silva, who had 15 points and 5 rebounds in the last game, will need to provide additional offensive support for Mathias to keep pace.

The teams are on divergent paths in the NBB standings. Bauru aims to solidify its position for a postseason push, while Vasco da Gama desperately needs a turnaround to revive its season. History favors the visitors, but Vasco da Gama will look to leverage its home court in search of a rare win.

Following this contest, Bauru visits Botafogo on Feb. 19. Vasco da Gama hosts Franca on Feb. 22.