SEA Games
Trương Thảo Vy of Việt Nam breaks through Thailand's defend in their women's 3x3 basketball match in Group A of the 32nd SEA Games on May 6 in Cambodia. Photos courtesy of VBA
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's basketball teams are making waves at the ongoing SEA Games in Cambodia, with both the men's and women's teams securing spots in the semi-finals of the 3x3 competition.
The qualifying round saw the teams competing in a round-robin format, with only the top two teams progressing to the knock-out stage.
On the women's side, Việt Nam faced stiff competition in Group A, with defending champions Thailand, the Philippines, and Laos all vying for a spot in the semis.
In their first match, the formidable Filipinas challenged the Việt Nam team, led by the towering 1.95m Jack Animam who put up an impressive performance in 10 minutes.
But Việt Nam's twin stars, Trương Thảo My and Trương Thảo Vi, along with their captain Huỳnh Thị Ngoan, fought back to level the game at 19-19 in the official time. In a tense extra time, it was Ngoan who emerged as the hero of the match, sinking a crucial two-point throw to secure a thrilling 21-19 victory for Việt Nam.
Vietnamese supporters at the Morodok Techo National Stadium.
The second game was a rematch of the last Games' final between Việt Nam and Thailand.
America-based My and Vy proved their quality as members of the Gonzaga University team, which plays at the US National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The twins scored a basket of points while their new teammate Nguyễn Thị Tiểu Duy played aggressively to maintain Việt Nam in the lead.
Despite their strong effort, Thailand could not break through Việt Nam's strong defence. They lost 16-13.
Laos were an underdog in this group, and Việt Nam eased to a 22-6 win.
As the top team of the group round, Việt Nam will play Indonesia, second place in Group B, in the semi-finals will be organised on May 7 at the Morodok Techo Sports Complex.
Việt Nam faced arch-rival Indonesia in the first match on the men's side.
Việt Nam went ahead early and led points most of the time. But they were caught up at 18-18 with only 30 seconds left.
Khoa Trần of Việt Nam (right) in an attempt to score in the match between Việt Nam and Laos.
Việt Nam scored one more point and were given two free throws that experienced Khoa Trần made no mistake from, finalising a 21-18 win.
In the second game, Phú Vinh, Justin Young and Võ Kim Bản tried hard, but their effort was not enough to save Việt Nam from a 13-21 loss to the Philippines.
The third match saw Việt Nam setting up their domination against Laos before beating them 22-10 to place second in Group A.
Việt Nam will face host Cambodia in the last four. VNS
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