Catfish defeated the Hanoi Buffaloes by a score of 70-59. The Buffaloes fall from first place. Photo courtesy of VBA

CẦN THƠ  - The Cantho Catfish unexpectedly defeated the Hanoi Buffaloes by a score of 70-59 on Friday (August 25) at Cần Thơ Gymnasium, Cần Thơ City.

Before the match, no one would have believed that the Buffaloes would have such a bad performance in Cần Thơ, especially when they just won against the defending champion Saigon Heat to take first place on Tuesday. 

During the first half, both teams played well and the score was close. Thanks to the excellent performance of Catfish star Brachon Griffin, the hosts were only two points behind. 

The first quarter ended with the score 16-14.

The Buffaloes star Anthony January had his worst performance since the start of the season, which was the main cause of the away team's defeat.

Each team scored just over 10 points in the second half and ended the second half with a score of 31-30 in favour of the Buffaloes. 

Five minutes after the break, shooter Michael Soy of the Catfish had a three pointer to break the balance and help the home team take the lead. 

Coach Erik Rashad of the guests called timeout to set up new plays, after which Tâm Đinh and Đinh Thanh Tâm were able to equalise for the guests. 

The third quarter ended with the score 49-49.

With Anthony January committing four personal fouls, Joshua Keyes of the home team dominated the low post area and kept scoring.

The 2.01m-high player scored six consecutive points and had a steal to help the Catfish take an eight-point lead, 61-53.

With the core players in bad form, the Buffaloes accepted a defeat with the final result of 70-59.

Joshua Keyes, who was explosive in the fourth quarter, received the Player of the Game award with 19 points and 17 rebounds. The other two players of the home team who also had a good performance were Brachon Griffin with 20 points and Michael Soy with 19 points, most of which came from outside the three-point line.

On the other side, Udun Osakue and Anthony January only scored 11 points each. The away team was only one for 22 from three-point range. VNS