Basketball

Madarious Gibbs of Nha Trang Dolphins (right) tries to evade Nguyễn Huy Hoàng of the Hanoi Buffaloes during the VBA's 16th match on Sunda. Photo of VBA

HÀ NỘI — Lower-ranked Nha Trang Dolphins made a surprise victory over the Hanoi Buffaloes 97-60 in the VBA's 16th game on Sunday in Hà Nội's Cầu Giấy Gymnasium.

The Dolphins ended the Buffaloes' winning streak. With their third win of this season, the Dolphins replaced the Buffaloes in second place and pushed their rivals to fourth in the standings.

It was expected to be a tough match for the Dolphins who suffered a big loss to Saigon Heat on June 22. The Buffaloes were stronger and ranked higher and were in high spirits after beating the HCM City Wings in their last game.

But it was the Dolphins who dominated the match right from the first whistle. Under the lead of Dominique Tham and Madarious Gibbs, the Dolphins were superior in both attack and defence, delivering a shower of three-pointers in the first two quarters.

While Gibbs collected points from his perfect shots from the three-meter line, Tham scored many from the under-basket area to help the Dolphins lead 53-28 by halftime.

In the second half, the Buffaloes switched to play in defence but it was not enough to save them from the Dolphins accurate three-pointers.

Robert Sampson and local players such as Vĩnh Quang, Sơn Minh Tâm and Hoàng Phúc took turns to break through the Buffaloes' defence to score.

The gap was continuously widened until the match ended with the final victory of 97-60 to the Dolphins, which set a new record for the most three-pointers in one match. The 97-60 result was their biggest win in four VBA seasons.

Gibbs was Player of the Game with 24 points and five rebounds. He also set a new record of 16 assists in the league.

Tham was second with 21 points, five assists and 15 rebounds including 10 offensive rebounds.

Tâm Đinh was the best one on Buffalo's side with 17 points and five rebounds. His foreign teammates Russell Smith and Anthony January showed poor performance, one of the main reasons for their team's unexpected defeat.

In the next games, the Dolphins will meet the Danang Dragons on June 28 while the Buffaloes will play Thăng Long Warriors in the capital derby a day later. — VNS