VBA Round 26 (Regular Season): Buffaloes are defeated by Catfish

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most important game in the last round took place in Hanoi between second ranked Buffaloes (12-7) and fourth ranked Catfish (11-8) on Wednesday night. Buffaloes were crushed by Catfish at home 82-60. Catfish forced 23 Buffaloes turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Catfish made 8 blocks. American forward Joshua Keyes (201-1995, college: Muskingum) had a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!), 12 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and Tam Dinh Thanh (192-1990) chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds during the contest. Catfish's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American guard Jimmy Nguyen (178-1999, college: The Word of Life) responded with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Catfish maintains fourth position with 11-8 record. Buffaloes at the other side keep the second place with seven games lost.
Very significant was Buffaloes' (#2, 12-7) victory against one of their biggest challengers Catfish (11-8) 88-77. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Hassan Thomas (203-1996, college: Emporia St.) notched a double-double by scoring 30 points and 17 rebounds to lead the effort and Ruot Monyyong supported him with 19 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks. Even 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists by forward Joshua Keyes (201-1995, college: Muskingum) did not help to save the game for Catfish. Buffaloes maintains second position with 12-7 record having just two points less than leader Heat. Catfish lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with eight games lost.

In the last game of round 26 Dragons lost to Dolphins on the opponent's court 79-94.



Dolphins - Dragons 94-79

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 5th ranked Dragons' (6-13) road loss to fourth ranked Dolphins (11-7) 79-94. Dolphins dominated down low during the game scoring 70 of its points in the paint compared to Dragons' 44. They outrebounded Dragons 60-38 including a 40-26 advantage in defensive rebounds. Dolphins players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Center Dominique Tham (195-1996, college: Mount Olive) notched a double-double by scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort and forward Mykal Jenkins (202-2000, college: St.Petersburg) supported him with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Dolphins' coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even a double-double of 22 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals by guard Marquis Davison (196-2000, college: Columbus St., agency: Worldwide SM) did not help to save the game for Dragons. Point guard Bryan Nguyen (178-2000, college: Alaska) added 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals for the guests. Four Dragons players scored in double figures. Dolphins moved-up to third place. Dragons at the other side keep the fifth position with 13 games lost.
Top scorers:
Dolphins: M.Jenkins 30+13reb+1ast, D.Tham 25+21reb+7ast, P.Nguyen Hoang 11+6reb+4ast, Q.Huynh Vinh 9+5reb+3ast, H.Vo Huy 8+2reb+1ast, T.Huynh Thanh 3+3reb+4ast
Dragons: M.Davison 22+15reb+4ast, B.Nguyen 18+4reb+6ast, N.Huynh Truc 14+2reb, T.Duong Duc 11+2reb+1ast, H.Minh Tran Minh 6+10reb, M.Trieu Han 4+2reb+4ast

Buffaloes - Catfish 88-77

Very significant was Buffaloes' (#2, 12-7) victory against one of their biggest challengers Catfish (11-8) 88-77. Buffaloes outrebounded Catfish 50-39 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. Buffaloes players were unselfish on offense dishing 24 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Hassan Thomas (203-1996, college: Emporia St.) notched a double-double by scoring 30 points and 17 rebounds to lead the effort and forward Ruot Monyyong (210-1998, college: UALR) supported him with 19 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks. Even 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists by forward Joshua Keyes (201-1995, college: Muskingum) did not help to save the game for Catfish. Guard Dakota Zinser (191-1995, college: PBA) added 20 points and 7 rebounds for the guests. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Buffaloes maintains second position with 12-7 record having just two points less than leader Heat. Catfish lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with eight games lost.
Top scorers:
Buffaloes: H.Thomas 30+17reb+2ast, G.Peterson 23+7reb+11ast, R.Monyyong 19+17reb+6ast, C.Dinh Tien 10+4reb+4ast, D.Nguyen Tien 3+1reb, J.Nguyen 3+1reb
Catfish: J.Keyes 22+9reb+6ast, D. Zinser 20+7reb+3ast, T.Dinh Thanh 12+5reb+3ast, H.Dang Thai 10+8reb+4ast, K.Le Khac Dang 8, T.Truong Hoang 3+4reb+7ast

Buffaloes - Catfish 60-82

The most important game in the last round took place in Hanoi between second ranked Buffaloes (12-7) and fourth ranked Catfish (11-8) on Wednesday night. Buffaloes were crushed by Catfish at home 82-60. Catfish forced 23 Buffaloes turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Catfish made 8 blocks. American forward Joshua Keyes (201-1995, college: Muskingum) had a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!), 12 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the charge for the winners and Tam Dinh Thanh (192-1990) chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds during the contest. Keyes is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Catfish's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American guard Jimmy Nguyen (178-1999, college: The Word of Life) responded with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and his fellow American import forward Ruot Monyyong (210-1998, college: UALR) scored 7 points and 15 rebounds. Catfish maintains fourth position with 11-8 record. Buffaloes at the other side keep the second place with seven games lost.
Top scorers:
Catfish: J.Keyes 35+12reb+3ast, D. Zinser 11+7reb+2ast, T.Dinh Thanh 11+11reb, K.Le Khac Dang 8+1reb+3ast, H.Dang Thai 5+5reb+4ast, Q.Le Hoang 3+5reb+5ast
Buffaloes: J.Nguyen 16+8reb+4ast, B.Nguyen Quang 8+1reb, C.Nguyen Albert 8+5reb+2ast, R.Monyyong 7+15reb, G.Peterson 7+3reb+6ast, H.Nguyen Huy 6+1reb+5ast