Hanoi Buffaloes narrowly won against Cantho Catfish at VBA 2026

In this rematch, Hanoi Buffaloes made a change in the starting lineup when Dinh Tien Cong was assigned to start instead of Nguyen Huy Hoang. Meanwhile, Cantho Catfish kept the same framework used in the previous match.

Right from the first half, the home team showed careful preparation. Huynh Thanh Tam played the role of coordinating the play, helping Cantho Catfish deploy proactive attacks and maintain a balanced game with the defending champion. Solid defense and effective counter-attack ability helped the Western team close the first half with a score of 19-19.

In the second half, Hanoi Buffaloes accelerated by rotating forces with many quality reserve players such as Dinh Thanh Tam, To Ngoc Khanh and Nguyen Huy Hoang. However, Cantho Catfish still maintained their pursuit thanks to the outstanding performance of the foreign duo Corey Anthony Raley Ross and Aula Maarufu Sumbry. The home team only let the opponent lead 41-47 after the first half of the match.

After the break, AJ Bramah began to make a difference for Hanoi Buffaloes. This star continuously scored points, helping the away team create a two-digit gap. However, Cantho Catfish still played resiliently and did not let the opponent break away completely. Albert Bordeos Opeña's point at the end of the quarter helped the home team maintain hope when narrowing the gap to 61-74.

Entering the final quarter, Cantho Catfish strongly rose up with a streak of 8-2 to narrow the gap to 7 points. Under pressure from the home team, coach Matt Van Pelt had to ask for a meeting to stabilize the squad. After a short break, Hanoi Buffaloes improved their defense and continuously had timely responses to preserve the advantage, thereby winning 87-80.

AJ Bramah was voted the best player of the match with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Sharing after the match, the Hanoi Buffaloes foreign player highly appreciated Cantho Catfish's fighting spirit and said that the whole team had to try very hard to win.

According to statistics, Hanoi Buffaloes are superior in 3-point shooting with a performance of 27%, while Cantho Catfish only achieved 4%. The away team also made a difference in the number of ball snatches with 13 times compared to 5 of the opponent. However, Cantho Catfish still left many marks thanks to their ability to compete for rebounds and coordinate attacks effectively. The Western team has 50 rebounds and 22 assists, all better than Hanoi Buffaloes.