Cantho Catfish beat host Hanoi Buffaloes in a dramatic 77-75 victory on Tuesday at the Viet Nam Basketball Association League.

Nguyen Phu Hoang of Hanoi Buffaloes (left) and Nguyen Hoang Tu of Cantho Catfish during their VBA match on Tuesday. 

It was the second straight win for the southern region’s representatives against their rival on the Buffaloes’ home turf.

The Catfish reached a high score in the first two quarters of the match, helping them win 26-21 and 45-38, respectively.

De Angelo Hamilton was the star for the visiting side, pocketing points from most of his throws and making the Buffaloes’ defence ineffective.

He secured 12 points and three blocks in these quarters.

Other players such as Sang Dinh (11 points), Tam Dinh (10) and Nguyen Hoang Tu (five) also contributed to maintain Catfish’s leading position.

The Buffaloes showed they were a worthy rival, with Jason Carter scoring 13, Thanh Dat getting five and super substitute Nguyen Phu Hoang having four.

However, Hoàng was unexpectedly sidelined for minutes after being elbowed by Hamilton. His absence affected the Buffaloes’ performance, leading to their losses.

In the next two quarters, the Buffaloes produced a strong fightback.

They created heavy pressure on the Catfish and successfully narrowed the score to 59-61 in the third.

The hosts continued their scoring streak with seven points in a row in the early minutes of the fourth quarter for the first time to lead 66-61.

However, the Catfish did not let them enjoy the lead for long. Truong Tran Nhan Hau and Le Hieu Thanh answered with 11 points and pushed their team ahead again.

The more they played the better the Buffaloes were. With only 25 second left, the hosts jumped ahead to lead 75-74.

But it was Tu’s day on Tuesday when he broke into the Buffaloes’ circle and scored two points.

The Buffaloes stole the ball and Jason Carter was trusted to make a buzzer beater with 11 seconds left. But the American was not successful.

His team then made a mistake and the Catfish were given two free throws, which were converted into points by Tú.

The Catfish won 77-75 and Hamilton was the MVP of the game. The win pushed them to the second place, replacing Saigon Heat who were down to third. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes maintained fourth place.

In the next fixture on October 24, the Catfish will visit HCM City Wings, who on Tuesday defeated defending champions Danang Dragons 84-63.

It was a match of two teams at the bottom of the table.

The win helps fifth-placed Wings maintain hope to join the top four and participate in the play-offs. Meanwhile, the Dragons were defeated for the ninth time in 10 matches since the beginning of the season and have no chance of defending their crown any more.

Next up, the Dragons will entertain Saigon Heat on Thursday in Da Nang City before the two meet again in HCM City three days later. 

VNS