Basketball

Madarious Gibbs of Nha Trang Dolphins (centre) breaks through Danang Dragons' defence during a VBA match on June 28 in Hà Nội. The Dolphins won 88-77. Photo courtesy of VNA

HÀ NỘI — Nha Trang Dolphins struggled to secure a 88-77 win over bottom-placed Danang Dragons on game 19 of the 2023 VBA season on June 28 in Hà Nội.

It was both two teams' last match in the first stage of the tournament. While the Dolphins needed a win to improve their overall ranking, the Dragons were seeking their first win of the season.

Despite their losing streak, the Dragons' performance made supporters excited in all five of their previous games. The sixth match was the same as they launched into open attacks from the beginning.

Youngsters Nguyễn Anh Kiệt and Dương Đức Trí quickly pushed the Dragons ahead to take an early lead.

However, the Dolphins also had a plan. Heritage player Dominique Tham and his teammates successfully reduced the Dragons' pace while locking their forwards. The first quarter ended at 21-17 for the Dolphins.

Tham, who was not only good at attacking but also strong in defence, continued pressuring the Dragons in the second quarter.

He made the Dragons defenders work hard in the three-meter line to protect their basket. When he was in defence he made a strong wall, denying the efforts of Yevgen Sakhniuk and Jermaine Marrow.

The Dolphins, who set the league record for most three-pointers on Sunday, continued to their peak performance with seven three-points in a row stunning the audience and increasing the gap with their rival to 51-29 at halftime.

The Dragons warmed up slowly as usual. They could only rise up in the second half of the match.

Marrow, who has so far scored an average of 28 points per game, became the highlight of the team. He earned 23 points in the third quarter, five times his performance in the first 20 minutes, and had another run of 10 points in the fourth.

His outburst inspired his teammates. Sakhniuk, Kiệt and Từ Dương Huy helped the Dragons regain control and scored more points to narrow the gap to 71-78 with just four minutes left.

However, the Dragons failed to maintain their streak. Marrow wasted two free throws while Madarious Gibbs of the Dolphins made his mark with five points with just one minute remaining.

The Dolphins closed the match at 88-77, pocketing their fourth win to stay strong in second place in the standings.

Gibbs took the Player of the Game title with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Marrow made his mark as a key member of the Dragons with 33 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

In the second stage which is organised in the away-home format, the Dolphins will play Thang Long Warriors on July 8 while the Dragons also host the Warriors on July 11. VNS