Basketball

John Fields of the Warriors (right) forced the Wings' players to work hard during their VBA match on July 25 in Hà Nội. The Warriors won 82-72. Photo courtesy of VBA

HÀ NỘI — The Thang Long Warriors kept their spot in the VBA's top four after beating Ho Chi Minh City Wings 82-72 in their match on July 25 at Hà Nội's Tây Hồ Gymnasium.

In their second meet of the season, both sides started the game with high caution, playing with strong defence. 

After the first five minutes, it was the host side which went ahead at 15-11 thanks to Trương Hoàng Trung and Nguyễn Tuấn Anh who pocketed great three-pointers.

Duo Lê Hiếu Thành and Đặng Thái Hưng continued shooting well to increase the gap to 24-14 near the end of the first quarter.

On the other side, defender Tân Hải Đăng also scored a perfect three-pointer to push the Wings up. Jeremy Smith proved his quality with smart shots to help the visitors narrow the score of the first quarter to 28-20.

Smith maintained his peak in the early minutes of the second quarter, breaking through the Warriors' defence and earning eight points in a row for the Wings

Hải Đăng also scored points from a counter-attack to level the score at 30-30.

The balance was maintained untill near the break when John Fields showed his skills with accurate shots to push the Warriors up again to 47-44.

In the third quarter's first three minutes Vũ Đoàn Minh Phương and Hải Đăng successfully earned their three-pointers that helped the Wings go ahead for the first time at 50-49.

With the booming support of home fans, the Warriors opened more attacks but the Wings' strong defence prevented them from earning more points. The hosts reset their lead in the last seconds when Sameen Swint scored from foul shots and the Warriors led 59-56.

Fields was the man of the match as he not only defended well but also scored great in the fourth quarter. With Swint's support, Fields was a big trouble to the Wings the whole night.  

Former national team members Nguyễn Văn Hùng and Đặng Thái Hưng also created many challenges for the Wings in the last quarter which saw 77-60 in the scoreboard after seven minutes.

Coach Erik Olson of the Wings asked his players to tighten their defence, keeping close eyes on the Warriors' forwards.

This tactic together with Smith's perfect three-pointers helped the Wings make it 80-70. However, it was not enough time and they had to return home empty-handed, losing 87-72.

Fields was the Player of the Game with 20 points and 17 rebounds.

The Warriors placed fourth with six wins and five losses while the Wings stayed fifth with three wins and seven defeats. VNS