Joe Mvuezolo (in the blue shirt) led the Dolphins to a crucial win against the Catfish. Photo courtesy of VBA

HCM CITY— The Nha Trang Dolphins won big, 82-64, over the Cần Thơ Catfish, in a crucial game, following three losses to the visitors.

This was the final game in the regular season between the two teams, which was held on Saturday (August 17) at Hồ Xuân Hương Gymnasium.

It was an an important victory for the home team as they are under pressure from chasing teams for a playoff spot.

Coach Chris Daleo made a notable change when he added experienced point guard Huỳnh Thanh Tâm to the starting lineup.

In the first quarter, coach Daleo's new change in the point guard position brought stability to the Nha Trang Dolphins.

Nguyễn Hoàng Phúc also did well in his new role as a shooter, with two three-pointers and the duo Dominique Tham and Mykal Jenkins controlling the paint areas well.

On the other side of the front line, the Catfish still showed the strength of intelligent ball rotation. After the first quarter, the home team took a lead of 19-17.

In the second quarter, the Dolphins gradually increased the lead thanks to three three-pointers from the local trio Hoàng Phúc, Thanh Tâm and Sơn Minh Tâm.

On the other side, coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa refreshed the attack with reserves Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, Đặng Thái Hưng and Lê Hoàng Quân, but the changes were ineffective.

The advantage from the local players helped the Dolphins establish a nine-point lead of 42-33.

After the break, the Catfish showed no signs of comeback. On the contrary, the mentality of the Catfish players showed them slowing down when witnessing the impressive performance of Joe Mvuezolo.

The 1.97m tall foreign player continuously finished successfully in many positions on the court, including three dagger shots at the three point line.

This star's solo performance brought 17 out of 24 points of the Dolphins in the quarter, more than the 13 of the entire Catfish team.

Thanks to that, the home team left the opponents far behind with a lead of 20 points 66-46.

In the deciding quarter, the Catfish missed many shots at the three-point line, leaving the final score line in favour of the Dolphins 82-64.

Joe Mvuezolo, the top scorer of the Dolphins, was named Player of the Game with 33 points, shooting 45 per cent of the three-point field goal.

“Tonight we brought the results of our training to the game. Everyone communicated effectively. The Dolphins have encountered many difficulties recently and suffered many consecutive losses. So I want to thank the fans for always accompanying and supporting us,” Joe Mvuezolo said.

After this result, the positions of the two teams on the rankings remain the same. The Catfish with eight wins and five losses is in second place, while the Dolphins remain in fourth place, with seven wins and eight losses. VNS