HÀ NỘI — Hanoi Buffaloes suffered a home defeat yesterday in a showdown with Cantho Catfish.
The visitors from the Mekong Delta set out with a mission to get even after a home defeat (83-86) against the buffaloes three days ago. The Catfish showed they were the better prepared team by leading 12-1 right off the start as the home team was struggling to break through a disciplined defence.
Having little else as alternative, the Buffaloes switched to their favourite long-throws play, which has proven effecive against the Catfish in their earlier clash. However, the Buffaloes were having a bad day as their shots kept missing while the Catfish, enjoying a comfortable lead for most of the game, proved themselves deadly in their counter attacks. The visitors managed to maintain a wide gap until the third quarter ended.
Even a ferocious comeback by the Buffaloes in the last quarter wasn’t enough to save such a sluggish start. The Catfish had their revenge with a 79-71 victory when the whisltle blew. In next week’s VBA fixtures, the Catfish will play the Danang Dragons on Thursday. — VNS