HÀ NỘI — Thăng Long Warriors crushed Danang Dragons 79-64 in the Việt Nam Basketball Association (VBA) League at the Military Zone 5 Gymnasium in Đà Nẵng City yesterday.

The Dragons controlled the game in the first quarter with Rudolphe Joly showing excellent form in both attack and defence. Joly scored 10 points and five rebounds to help the hosts take 14-12 lead.

In the second quarter, Joly continued to shine in the match. He scored points, and helped his teammates Lê Phước Thắng and Tim Waale excel with his intelligent passes.

On the Warriors’ side, Tô Quang Trung also played prominently and scored 11 points. Trung had three three-point throws in this quarter. Trung’s performance confused the Dragons’ defence line. However, the hosts managed to lead 38-33 .

The Dragons’ eventually lost their physical strength and their throws started becoming inaccurate. The Warriors then managed to get a lead of four points, thanks to a three-point shot from Đàm Huy Đại. The Dragons were then trailing Warriors by just a point at 54-55.

In the last quarter, Horace Nguyễn of the Dragons met with injury and was forced to leave the game. Without a key player, the Dragons’ attacks were not sharp. Meanwhile, the Warriors played more aggressively and secured a 79-64  win.

Hanoi Buffaloes and HCM City Wings’ players compete at the VBA League at Bách Khoa Gymnasium in Hà Nội on Saturday. — VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng

In another match played on Saturday, Hanoi Buffaloes beat HCM City Wings 57-55 at Bách Khoa Gymnasium in Hà Nội.

Both the two teams failed in the last matches, so they were determined to beat their rivals to have a go at the event’s title.

With strong support and home advantage, the Buffaloes made a good start with three-point throws by Nguyễn Thành Đạt and Đinh Tiến Công. However, the Wings rose to the occasion through Ngô Tuấn Trung and Bilal Richardson. At one point, the gap between the two sides was only three points. In the last minutes, Ryan Arnold and Nguyễn Phú Hoàng played outstandingly to help the Buffaloes take a lead of 18-13.

The two teams played more carefully and held the defence effectively in the second quarter. With better skills, Tiến Dương, Vincent Nguyễn and Đinh Tiến Công of the hosts scored points repeatedly to widen the gap, making it 31-20.

Triệu Hán Minh, Henry Nguyễn, Bilal Richardson and Nguyễn Thành Nhân lifted the hopes of the Wings with consecutive three-point throws in the third quarter. However, with the reasonable defence tactics of coach Todd Purves, the Buffaloes still won 41-36.

The Wings strongly fought back in the last quarter. They continuously created pressure on the Buffaloes with three-point shots by Nguyễn and Minh. With just 10 minutes remaining in the game, Nguyễn made a successful throw to go ahead by two points.

In times of pressure, the Buffaloes proved their skills and spirit. Vincent Nguyễn was once more the “hero” for his team. He helped the Buffaloes extend the gap to four points when there was just four seconds to go.

The remaining seconds were not enough for the Wings to fight back, and they lost 55-57 in the final.

Saigon Heat vs Cantho Catfish at the VBA League in HCM City on Saturday. — Photo courtesy of VBA

Meanwhile, with two wins in a row, Cantho Catfish were confident of facing the hosts Saigon Heat at the CIS Arena in HCM City. However, the Heat proved that they were not an easy rival to beat. With their key players showing wonderful fitness, along with the effective attack methods of coach David Singleton, the Heat stamped out their rival’s enthusiasm with a score of 72-59.

The Heat deployed their attack  in the first minutes of the first quarter, making it hard for Catfish to respond. Darius Lewis of the Heat played outstandingly and was the best player in this quarter, scoring nine points on his own. The Catfish had to adjust their tactics, but still trailed the Heat 15-22.

The Heat displayed their best performance in the second quarter, when Lewis, Lê Ngọc Tú and Hồng Gia Lân bagged three-point throws, creating a strong lead. The Catfish wasted chances and Heat ended the quarter with a lead.

The third quarter marked the return of captain Việt Arnold of the Heat. Arnold and Lewis helped their team lead 56-44. Lewis himself scored 14 points in this set.

Although, the Catfish made every effort to score points in the last quarter, they were defeated 59-72 by the Heat finally. — VNS