Preview: Santo Andre Looks to Continue Momentum Against Struggling ADRM Maringa

MARINGA, Brazil (Interstat) — A matchup of teams at opposite ends of the standings will take place Thursday when Santo Andre visits ADRM Maringa in a women’s professional basketball game.

The contest, part of the Brazilian league, pits a Santo Andre squad (3-2) seeking to solidify a winning record against a Maringa team (1-20) mired in a prolonged slump. The game tips off at Maringa’s home court in Maringa.

Santo Andre enters with confidence following a 65-58 victory over Sao Jose on March 8. The team is led by center Giovanna Rocha, who posted 11 points and eight rebounds in that win. Forward Luana Batista added a team-high 16 points. Santo Andre’s season has been inconsistent but features a decisive 80-60 home win over this same Maringa squad last June.

ADRM Maringa, conversely, is reeling from a 1-20 start across all competitions. Its most recent outing was a 53-49 home loss to SESI on March 13. The lone bright spot has been the play of center Thayna Sylvestre, who recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in that defeat. She also scored 17 points against Mesquita on March 8. The team’s defensive struggles are pronounced, having allowed opponents to score 80 or more points in seven of its last ten defeats.

Recent history heavily favors the visitors. Santo Andre has won the last two head-to-head meetings by an average margin of 20 points, including an 81-61 victory in Maringa on March 28, 2025.

For Santo Andre, the game represents a critical opportunity to bank a victory before a challenging stretch that includes upcoming games against Sampaio, Mesquita and Cerrado Brasilia. For ADRM Maringa, it is a chance to find a rare spark and pull off a major upset against a familiar foe that has dominated the recent series.

Player matchups in the frontcourt will be key, with Santo Andre’s Giovanna Rocha facing ADRM Maringa’s Thayna Sylvestre. Sylvestre’s individual production has been a consistent positive for Maringa, but containing Santo Andre’s balanced attack, which saw three players score in double figures in its last win, will be the primary challenge for the home side.