Tâm Đinh with a dagger 3 pointer. The Catfish's captain leads the team to its first victory. Photo courtesy of VBA

By Xuân Đăng

HCM CITY — The Cần Thơ Catfish finally had their first win thanks to the MVP performance of captain Đinh Thanh Tâm.

They faced the Hanoi Buffaloes at Hồ Xuân Hương Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Before the match, no one could believe that the home team would win as they had been playing poorly.

However, Tâm Đinh's brilliance helped the team have a convincing victory over the championship contender Buffaloes.

In the first quarter, the Buffaloes played with low energy while the Catfish showed a different face compared to their two previous matches.

The representative from the capital only scored a point after 10 shots.

After ten minutes of the first quarter, the Catfish's starting lineup all had points to help the home team take the lead, 21-11.

Entering the second quarter, the Buffaloes changed their plays to narrow the gap as the import duo Devin Peterson and Eric Frederick showed signs of getting going. 

Although the gap was down to only three points, the efforts of the Buffaloes were pushed back by Tâm Đinh's timely brilliance. 

With three three-pointers in this quarter, the Catfish's captain helped the home team continue to lead 42-34 before halftime.

Within the first three minutes in the third quarter, Hassan Thomas and Đinh Tiến Công put all their effort toward helping the guest almost equalise at 41-42. 

Facing pressure from the opponent, Dakota Zinser of the Catfish promptly stepped up to revive the attack. 

Fans celebrated Catfish first win. Photo courtesy of VBA

Along with the effectiveness of experienced reserve player Đặnh Thái Hưng, the green team re-established a double-digit lead of 60-48.  

In the decisive quarter, the Buffaloes did not want to have a third loss in a row, and coach Erik Rashad and his team gradually caught up with the Catfish. 

With 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the game, the guest brought the score to 68-70.

However, at the key moment, Tâm Đinh stepped up again with two points at the free throw line.

That was enough for the home team to reach its first victory with a score of 74-68.

Tâm Đinh, the legend of the Can Tho Catfish, who created momentum to help the team rise and responded at key moments, was the Player of the Game with 22 points and 13 rebounds. 

“Compared to the first two losses, tonight we created positive energy. Regarding my own performance, I always remind myself that I have to score points and win,” Tâm Đinh said. VNS