VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi Buffaloes sunk Madgoat to place third at the Thailand Basketball Super League yesterday in Bangkok.

Steven Thomas of Hanoi Buffaloes (left) tries to throw a ball during their match against Madgoat at the TBSL. — Photo of TBSL

It was another successful match for the Vietnamese team in their first international tournament.

The Buffaloes came from behind to defeat Madgoat 94-87 in the third-place play-off match’s second leg.

The Madgoat, who had strong local fan support, had a strong start, winning the first two quarters 27-22 and 52-45.

However, the Buffaloes showed off their great performances to level the results, before moving ahead 72-55.

The visitors maintained their lead in the fourth quarter, offering no chance for the Madgoat to fight back. They ended the match at 94-87 and took home a bronze medal.

American Matthew Van Pelt of the Buffaloes, who scored 33 points, three steals rebounds and five assists yesterday, was the Most Valuable Player of the match.

Justin Young, in his last match for the Buffaloes, also pocketed nine points from three three-point throws, and impressed local fans with his talent in defence.

He successfully stopped T. Statham from scoring in the two final quarters. Statham scored 30 points and had 16 rebounds for the Madgoat in the game.

Giant duo Steven Thomas and Marcus Douthit also marked their presence, with 17 rebounds each.

Earlier on Saturday in the first leg of the match, the Buffaloes also won 86-76. It was the first time they beat the Goats at this tournament.

After two legs, the Ha Noi-based club won 2-0.

The final matches saw clashes between Mono Vampire and Mono Thew, both of Thailand.

In their first leg match on Saturday, Mono Thew, who defeated the Buffaloes 3-2 in the semi-finals, won 139-134. They continued winning 107-90 in the second game yesterday. Their third leg will be on April 1.

In other basketball news, Viet Nam’s Saigon Heat lost 71-86 to the Singapore Slingers in the final match of the ASEAN Basketball League at the Ho Xuan Huong Gymnasium on Saturday.

The Slingers stand second in the rankings, while the Heat are in fourth. Both of them have qualified for the play-off round.

In the first match, Singapore Slingers will welcome Alab Pilipinas on their home turf of OCBC Arena on April 2. Saigon Heat will visit leaders Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions at the Southorn Stadium on April 5. 

Source: VNS