Cantho Catfish came closer to winning the Viet Nam Basketball Association trophy after beating Thang Long Warriors 77-74 in the third leg of the finals on Sunday.

Jaywuan Hill of Thang Long Warriors (left) tries to score during the VBA finals’ third leg match against Cantho Catfish on Sunday. — Photo VBA

Playing on home turf made the Catfish more confident and they scored one point less than the Warriors when the first quarter ended at 15-16.

The second quarter saw many mistakes from both sides but the hosts were the better team, with three-point throws by Tam Dinh, Sang Dinh and Hieu Thanh. They took the lead at 34-29.

The Catfish maintained their spirit till the third quarter and they widened the gap to 62-45 when it was two minutes to the break.

However, the Warriors came back strong.

Their players scored 11 points in a row and narrowed the result to 56-62. They continued being better in most of the last quarter and made it to 70-70 with just one minute to go.

Under strong support of home fans, the Catfish resume their domination with points scored by Hieu Thanh and De Angelo Hamilton. The hosts closed the match at 77-74.

They lead 2-1 in the finals before the last match on November 29. The Catfish have the advantage of playing on home ground. — VNS