HÀ NỘI — Thang Long Warriors defeated Hanoi Buffaloes 80-69 in the last derby of the Viet Nam Basketball Association (VBA) League in Hà Nội on Sunday.

The Warriors played confidently, as earlier, they beat the Buffaloes twice but the first quarter ended in draw of 15-15.

In the second quarter, coach Todd Purves of the Buffaloes was forced to leave the game following a technical mistake with the referees.

Taking advantage of this, the Warriors quickly took the lead 33-28 with accurate throws by Jaywuan Hill and Justin Young.

In the third period, the Warriors’ score was 44-30 against the Buffaloes. But with effective three-point shots, Vincent Nguyễn and Nguyễn Phú Hoàng narrowed the gap.

Although Ryan Lê of the Warriors left the match, the Warriors still proved their skills and won 80-69 in the final.

It is the third win in a row for the Warriors against the Buffaloes in this tournament, helping the Warriors top the rankings.

The next challenge of the Buffaloes will be with HCM City Wings on October 28, while the Warriors will play Danang Dragons at the Military Zone 5 in Đà Nẵng on October 26.

In another match, Saigon Heat crushed defending champions Danang Dragons 93-78 at CIS Arena in HCM City.

Taking advantage of playing on their home turf, the Heat played impressively by taking the lead of 20-14 in the first period.

In the next stage, the Dragons bounced back with Trần Đăng Khoa, Horace Nguyễn and Rudolphe Joly. Khoa scored five points, Joly alone scored 11 points, while Nguyễn had three successful three-point throws. These players helped the visiting side finish the second quarter at 40-35.

However, after the break, the hosts made fans jump for joy with their outstanding performance.

Lê Ngọc Tú và David Arnold helped the Heat level the score of 50-50 when the third period remained half of time.

Following this excitement, Darius Lewis and Nguyễn Huỳnh Hải scored seven points each to finish the third quarter 66-55 in favour of the Heat.

Although the Dragons made every effort in the last period, they still suffered a loss of 78-93.

With this loss, the Dragons will have to cut short their dream of playing in the event’s play-offs.

The Heat defended their third place in the rankings, and will next meet Thang Long Warriors at the CIS Arena on October 29. — VNS