Nha Trang Dolphins finish first VBA stage with 88-77 win

Nha Trang Dolphins finish first VBA stage with 88-77 win

Your browser does not support the audio element. Nha Trang Dolphins won  八 八- 七 七 to stay second while Danang Dragons remain at the bottom after sixth loss.

Basketball

Madarious Gibbs of Nha Trang Dolphins (centre) breaks through Danang Dragons' defence during a VBA match on June  二 八 in Hà Nội. The Dolphins won  八 八- 七 七. Photo courtesy of VNA

HÀ NỘI — Nha Trang Dolphins struggled to secure a  八 八- 七 七 win over bottom-placed Danang Dragons on game  一 九 of the  二0 二 三 VBA season on June  二 八 in Hà Nội.

It was both two teams' last match in the first stage of the tournament. While the Dolphins needed a win to improve their overall ranking, the Dragons were seeking their first win of the season.

Despite their losing streak, the Dragons' performance made supporters excited in all five of their previous games. The sixth match was the same as they launched into open attacks from the beginning.

Youngsters Nguyễn Anh Kiệt and Dương Đức Trí quickly pushed the Dragons ahead to take an early lead.

However, the Dolphins also had a plan. Heritage player Dominique Tham and his tea妹妹ates successfully reduced the Dragons' pace while locking their forwards. The first quarter ended at  二 一- 一 七 for the Dolphins.

Tham, who was not only good at attacking but also strong in defence, continued pressuring the Dragons in the second quarter.

He made the Dragons defenders work hard in the three-meter line to protect their basket. When he was in defence he made a strong wall, denying the efforts of Yevgen Sakhniuk and Jermaine Marrow.

The Dolphins, who set the league record for most three-pointers on Sunday, continued to their peak performance with seven three-points in a row stunning the audience and increasing the gap with their rival to  五 一- 二 九 at halftime.

The Dragons warmed up slowly as usual. They could only rise up in the second half of the match.

Marrow, who has so far scored an average of  二 八 points per game, became the highlight of the team. He earned  二 三 points in the third quarter, five times his performance in the first  二0 minutes, and had another run of  一0 points in the fourth.

His outburst inspired his tea妹妹ates. Sakhniuk, Kiệt and Từ Dương Huy helped the Dragons regain control and scored more points to narrow the gap to  七 一- 七 八 with just four minutes left.

However, the Dragons failed to maintain their streak. Marrow wasted two free throws while Madarious Gibbs of the Dolphins made his mark with five points with just one minute remaining.

The Dolphins closed the match at  八 八- 七 七, pocketing their fourth win to stay strong in second place in the standings.

Gibbs took the Player of the Game title with  二 一 points,  一0 rebounds and six assists.

Marrow made his mark as a key member of the Dragons with  三 三 points,  一 一 rebounds and four assists.

In the second stage which is organised in the away-home format, the Dolphins will play Thang Long Warriors on July  八 while the Dragons also host the Warriors on July  一 一. VNS

Tags basketball