Ramiro celebrated after the three point shot in the overtime. The Buffaloes advance to final after a tough game against the Ho Chi Minh City Wings. — Photo courtesy of VBA

Xuân Đăng

HCM CITY — After five challenging periods, the Hanoi Buffaloes beat the Ho Chi Minh City Wings 105-96 at Hồ Xuân Hương Gymnasium on September 9 to secure a place in the VBA final.

The second playoff meeting between the Hanoi Buffaloes and the Ho Chi Minh City Wings was a decisive one, with the defending champions needing just one more win to reach the final.

Both teams made one change each to their starting line-ups compared with the previous game. The home team kept the small ball formation but handed Trần Quang Duy a starting spot in place of Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, while Trần Phi Hoàng Long started for Đặng Thái Hưng for the visitors.

In the first quarter, both teams made a focused start at a high pace. Amid the intense contest, the HCM City hosts faced difficulties when Dakota Zinser had to leave the court after committing two consecutive personal fouls. On the other side, Amir Gholizadeh shared the attacking burden with AJ Bramah.

With a flexible game plan, the “Capital Buffaloes” quickly took a 23-14 lead.

In the second quarter, Dư Minh An repeatedly stepped up to help the hosts turn the game around. With a series of long-range shots and spectacular steals, the experienced star helped the “second eagle” unexpectedly move five points ahead of the defending champions at 28-23.

Inspired by their senior teammate, the players of head coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa continued to pressure their opponents into turnovers and successfully maintained their lead at 44-40.

In the third quarter, the hosts largely managed to protect their narrow advantage, with Trần Quang Duy producing an impressive performance. In the seventh minute, after making persistent efforts to close the gap, together with Lian Ramiro’s brilliance, AJ Bramah helped the visitors regain the lead at 60-57.

Entering the final quarter, both teams demonstrated high precision from beyond the arc, with Trần Minh Hiếu of the Buffaloes sinking back-to-back three-pointers in response to Dakota Zinser’s early-quarter shot.

The two teams continued to play neck and neck, trading blows in a tense contest, with the gap never exceeding three points.

With just over 30 seconds remaining and the visitors leading 90-86, Quang Duy brought the Wings fans on their feet by successfully hitting a corner three-pointer, igniting hope for the home team.

With little time remaining, the City Wings accepted a foul to stop the clock. From the free-throw line, Lian Ramiro converted just one of his two attempts.

On the ensuing possession, the players of head coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa set up a play for Nicholas Minh-Anh Courtney, who calmly finished to level the score at 91-91.

In the overtime period, Ramiro continued to shine, helping the “Capital Buffaloes” move ahead. As the game progressed at both ends of the court, the visitors’ key players began to show signs of fatigue.

The “Capital Buffaloes” took advantage of the situation and, with greater depth on the bench and more energy, continued to extend their lead before sealing a 105-96 victory.

Ramiro, the key player behind the Hanoi Buffaloes’ victory, was named Player of the Game (POTG) after recording 27 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 60 per cent from three-point range (6/10).

“It was a difficult game. Several players on the home team performed impressively. However, we were still the team that came out on top. The Hanoi Buffaloes have improved compared with last season, but the whole team still needs to improve further to defend the championship,” Ramiro said.

Despite having an inferior squad, the Ho Chi Minh City Wings produced an entertaining performance. Showing great resilience, head coach Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa’s side at one point led the defending champions in the second quarter and even had a chance to win the game.

Trần Quang Duy, who scored 24 points, and Dư Minh An, with 16 points, played major roles in the impressive display.

All VBA matches will be broadcast live on FPT Play, the league's exclusive production and broadcasting partner under a five-season agreement running from 2026 to 2030. — VNS