Franca, the most successful team in Brazilian basketball with 13 national titles, has now made a mark on the international stage by winning the FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, held in Singapore, Asia. Their thrilling victory of 70-69 over Germany’s Telekom Baskets Bonn was sealed with a decisive shot by their captain, Lucas Dias, just one second before the end of the game.
In this historic match, Lucas Dias was named the MVP of the final after scoring 14 points for Franca. However, the center Márcio was the team’s top scorer with 15 points, playing a crucial role, especially in the final quarter. The experienced American player David Jackson, at 41 years old and one of the team’s leaders, contributed with 12 points and eight assists and was awarded the tournament’s best player. The American guard Glynn Watson from the German team was the game’s top scorer with 16 points.
This victory marks the fourth Brazilian win in the Intercontinental Cup. Prior to Franca’s victory, Sírio had taken the title in 1979, while Flamengo secured it in 2014 and 2022.
Franca’s international journey now includes a total of 13 trophies, including the Intercontinental Cup, the Champions of the Americas title won in 2023, six South American titles (1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1990, and 1991), four Pan-American titles (1993, 1994, 1997, and 1999), and a South American League title in 2018.
After an undefeated victory in the Champions of the Americas, with ten wins, Franca arrived in Singapore for the Intercontinental Cup with changes in their roster, losing players like Lucas Mariano and American Mike Smith but gaining reinforcements such as Wesley and Alexey, both from Minas. During the tournament, Franca defeated Egypt’s Al Ahly 90-70 and later overcame the U.S. G League Ignite 98-89. In the thrilling final, they defeated Bonn and secured the title.
The lineups for the teams were as follows:
Franca: Georginho, David Jackson, Jhonatan Luz, Lucas Dias, and Márcio. Substitutes: Wesley, Santiago Scala, Alexey, Paulo Zu, and Edu Marília.
Bonn: Fobbs, Frey, Griesel, Sengfelder, and Udanoh. Substitutes: Flagg, Kirkwood, Pape, Turudic, and Watson.
The game unfolded as follows:
First quarter: Franca 18 – 13 Bonn
Second quarter: Franca 16 – 21 Bonn (Tied at 34-34 at halftime)
Third quarter: Franca 24 – 16 Bonn (Franca leading 58-50)
Fourth quarter: Franca 12 – 19 Bonn (Franca wins 70-69 with a decisive shot by Lucas Dias)
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