Mahram triumph in Doha! - May 30, 2010 (by Eurobasket News)
Final
Al Rayyan - Mahram 73:93
Mahram defended their Asia Champions Cup title. They fired past hosting Al Rayyan in the championship clash in Doha tonight. Samad Nikkhah (199-G/F-83, agency: SportsList Inc.) scored 26 points to lead the Iranian champions to the victory.
Mahram and Al Rayyan looked well matched in the starting stanza. The Iranian team earned a narrow 22:20 lead at the first break. Al Rayyan surged ahead 27:24 early in the second period [read more]
Final Al Rayyan - Mahram 73:93 Mahram defended their Asia Champions Cup title. They fired past hosting Al Rayyan in the championship clash in Doha tonight. Samad Nikkhah (199-G/F-83, agency: SportsList Inc.) scored 26 points to lead the Iranian champions to the victory. Mahram and Al Rayyan looked well matched in the starting stanza. The Iranian team earned a narrow 22:20 lead at the first break. Al Rayyan surged ahead 27:24 early in the second period. But Mahram responded with a 12:0 run as Hamed Afagh (192-G-83, agency: SportsList Inc.) exploded with a couple of three-pointers. Mahram soon completed a 20:2 run that gave them a confident lead. Mahram finished the first half up by 13 points 46:33. The second half was marked by impressive performance from Samad Nikkhah. He fire 20 points helping Mahram to stay in charge. Mahram made the decisive run in the third quarter. They cleared off to a 27-point distance before the fourth period. Al Rayyan could not find any proper answers for the onslaught from the champions and had to yield at the end. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) delivered 21 points for Mahram. Hamed Afagh knocked down 17 points, while Loren Woods had 15 in the victory. Yasseen Musa (204-F-80) replied with 20 points for Al Rayyan. Tanguy Ngombo (196-F-89, agency: Court Side) and Erfan Ali Saeed (200-F-83) notched 14 points each in the loss.
3-4 place Al Riyadi - ASU 82:78 (OT) Al Riaydi repeated their 2009 Asia Champions Cup result. The Lebanese champions once again clinched the third spot in the final ladder, this time in Doha, Qatar. After losing in the semifinal yesterday Al Riyadi tamed ASU of Jordan in overtime tonight. Fadi El Khatib (199-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) was unstoppable for Al Riyadi as he notched 36 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The Lebanese team surged ahead right from the start. They stayed in charge in the opening frame and piled up a 19:6 advantage at the first break. Al Riyadi maintained the lead for some time in the second stanza but ASU gradually recovered. The Jordanian champions capped the first half on a 16:6 rally to cut the deficit at three-point mark 31:34. Al Riyadi bounced back in the third stanza. They restored a safe cushion but not for long though. ASU once again finished the period strongly and trailed by only 3 points heading into the fourth quarter 51:54. The teams exchanged baskets throughout intense final period. The end of regulation saw 71:71 tie on the scoreboard. The game entered overtime where Al Riaydi sealed the winning outcome. Fadi El Khatib stayed on fire and brought Al Riyadi to the victory in the consolation final. Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) had 12 points and 8 rebounds for Al Riyadi. Omar El Turk (188-G-81, college: Dawson Coll.) added 11 points for the winning team. Zaid Abbaas (203-F-83) responded with 15 points for ASU. James Williams (204-F-79, college: Brown Mackie) tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
5-6 place Astana Tigers - Al Jalaa 75:68 Astana Tigers clinched the fifth spot at the Asia Champions Cup in Qatar. The Kazakh champions held off Al Jalaa of Syria in the final game at the tournament. The victory marked the best ever result for the Tigers. In 2007 the Tigers occupied the sixth place. Dmitriy Gavrilov (205-F-86) knocked down 15 points to lead the charge. Al Jalaa looked slightly better at the early stages of the game. The Syrian team recorded a 21:18 advantage at the first break. Al Jalaa did not allow Astana to change things in the second frame. The teams stayed close but Al Jalaa still led by one point 36:35 at the interval. Astana finally managed to surged ahead in the third quarter. The Kazakh side pulled in front and clinched a 55:53 advantage heading into the fourth frame. The Tigers managed to establish a reliable buffer in the final minutes and withheld Al Jalaa rescue attempts to celebrate victory. Anton Ponomarev (209-C/F-88, agency: Court Side) nailed 13 points for Astana. Aleksandr Tiutiunik (199-F-90) added 12 points for the winners. Michel Maadanli (196-G-81) provided 15 points in the loss. Sharif El Sharif (188-G-78) accounted for 11 points for Al Jalaa.
7-8 place Smart Gilas - Al Hilal 100:95 (OT) Smart Gilas finished their Asia Champions Cup on a high note. The Filipino team celebrated the victory in the exciting overtime drama against Al Hilal to claim the seventh overall position. Mark Barroca (198-F/C-88) knocked down 24 points to pace Smart Gilas in this one. Al Hilal started the game in a commanding manner. The Saudi Arabia side led throughout the opening quarter and finished it ahead by 6 points 20:14. DerMarr Johnson (206-G-80, college: Cincinnati) helped Al Hilal to accumulate an 8-point lead midway through the second period. But Smart Gilas did not allow their opponents to run away. The Filipino team managed to stay within 6 points at halftime 41:47. Smat Gilas tipped off the second half with a 9:1 run to surge ahead. The teams then traded baskets for some time and Al Hilal led by just one point 66:65 at the third break. Neither side was able to dominate in the fourth stanza. It all came down to the final seconds of regulation. Mark Barroca gave Smart Gilas an 85:82 lead with 40 seconds remaining. However Hani Almohammed and DerMarr Johnson leveled things up at 86 at the end of regulation. Mark Barroca and Chris Tiu (178-G-85) quickly pulled Smart Gilas ahead 92:86 in overtime. DerMarr Johnson dragged Al Hilal within one point 95:96 but Chris Tiu and Lutz sealed the winning outcome for Smart Gilas from the stripe. Chris Tiu finished with 18 points and 6 assists for Smart Gilas. Aldrech Ramos (198-C/F-88) had 14 points in the win. DerMarr Johnson tallied impressive 37 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals for Al Hilal. Brandon Crump (208-C-82, college: Tennessee) accounted for 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss.
Al Rayyan and Mahram to clash in the Final - May 29, 2010 (by Eurobasket News)
Semifinals
Al Rayyan - ASU 82:62
Al Rayyan celebrated a confident win in the first semifinal at the Asia Champions Cup. The hosts entertained the fans in Doha as they rolled past ASU of Jordan. Erfan Ali Saeed (200-F-83) and Omer Abgader Salem (205-C-83) knocked down 15 points apiece to lead Al Rayyan.
Al Rayyan and ASU stayed close throughout the opening frame. The Qatari champions posted a narrow 18:16 advantage at the first break. Both teams stressed defense in the second period [read more]
Semifinals Al Rayyan - ASU 82:62 Al Rayyan celebrated a confident win in the first semifinal at the Asia Champions Cup. The hosts entertained the fans in Doha as they rolled past ASU of Jordan. Erfan Ali Saeed (200-F-83) and Omer Abgader Salem (205-C-83) knocked down 15 points apiece to lead Al Rayyan. Al Rayyan and ASU stayed close throughout the opening frame. The Qatari champions posted a narrow 18:16 advantage at the first break. Both teams stressed defense in the second period. Al Rayyan were more successful as they recorded a 36:30 advantage at the interval. The third period was marked by an overwhelming dominance of the home side. Al Rayyan limited their opponents to just 9 points and finished the frame up by as many as 18 points 57:39. The Qatari team looked solid in the fourth quarter and easily sealed the winning outcome at the end. Tanguy Ngombo (196-F-89, agency: Court Side) delivered 14 points for Al Rayyan. Cory Bradford netted 13 points in the victory. James Williams (204-F-79, college: Brown Mackie) responded with 17 points for ASU. Zaid Abbaas (203-F-83) had 13 points in the losing effort.
Mahram - Al Riyadi 71:64 Mahram put on a clinical defensive show to secure the victory at the Asia Champions Cup semifinal. The defending champions prevailed against Al Riyadi of Lebanon to face hosting Al Rayyan in the title decider. Al Riaydi will take on ASU in the consolation final. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) was pivotal in the opening frame. Mahram centre scored 8 points to help them accumulate a 17:13 lead at the break. Mahram kept on mounting the pressure in the second frame. They held Al Riyadi to just 8 points in the second period and built a 32:21 lead at the intermission. Mahram kept the Lebanese champions at safe distance throughout the third quarter. The margin grew at 19 points heading into the fourth stanza. Al Riyadi managed to cut the distance as they unleashed an 8:0 run early in the fourth term. But Mahram quickly stopped the bleeding and raced to the victory at the end. Samad Nikkhah (199-G/F-83, agency: SportsList Inc.) nailed 27 points to lead Mahram. Jackson Vroman added 18 points, while Loren Woods (218-C-78, college: Arizona) notched 15 points in the winning case. Fadi El Khatib (199-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) responded with 20 points for Al Riyadi. Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) netted 16 points in the loss.
5-8 place Astana Tigers - Al Hilal 64:50 Astana Tigers claimed the third win at the Asia Champions Cup. They held off Al Hilal in Doha today. The Kazakh champions will now face the winner of Smart Gilas vs. Al Jalaa for the fifth overall position at the tournament. Astana will try to beat their 2007 result when the Tigers finished in the sixth position. Anton Ponomarev (209-C/F-88, agency: Court Side) scored 14 points to lead the Kazakh team to the victory today. The Tigers stayed in charge in the starting frame. They posted a 22:16 lead at the first break. Astana did not allow the Saudi Arabia team to get any closer in the second frame and finished the half ahead by 7 points 38:31. Astana maintained the advantage in the third period. Astana headed into the fourth frame up by 8 points 48:40. Al Hilal could not change things around in the fourth period and had to yield at the end. Dmitriy Gavrilov (205-F-86) notched 11 points in the winning case. DerMarr Johnson (206-G-80, college: Cincinnati) answered with 23 points for Al Hilal. Mohammad Al Saqr (178-G-85) netted 12 points in the loss.
Smart Gilas - Al Jalaa 81:83 Sharif El Sharif hit a buzzer-beater to allow Al Jalaa celebrate a narrow victory over Smart Gilas in the classification round of Asia Champions Cup. The Syrian champions will now face the Kazakh counterparts Astana Tigers in the battle for the 5th spot. Smart Gilas will aim at finishing seventh when they take on Al Hilal tomorrow. Garnett Thompson (207-F/C-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Providence) knocked down 23 points to pace Al Jalaa to the victory. The game did not look so bright for Al Jalaa at the early stages. Smart Gilas dominated the first half. The Filipino champions recorded a 21:14 buffer at the first break. They never slowed down in the second stanza. The gap grew at 11-point distance at halftime. But gradually Al Jalaa found the right rhythm. They narrowed the gap at just 2-point mark with ten minutes to go. Al Jalaa denied the deficit in the fourth period and the teams stayed close setting up mouth-watering final minutes. The scoreboard read 81 apiece when Dylan Ababou missed his jumper. Garnett Thompson came up with the rebound and found Sharif El Sharif who unleashed his shot right on the money bringing the victory for Al Jalaa. Michel Maadanli (196-G-81) finished with 17 points for Al Jalaa. Chris Tiu (178-G-85) responded with 17 points for Smart Gilas. Mac Baracael (193-F/G-85) had 15 points in the loss.
Al Rayyan, Mahram, ASU and Al Riyadi enter semifinals - May 28, 2010 (by Eurobasket News)
Quarterfinals
Al Riyadi - Smart Gilas 74:63
Al Riyadi sealed the semifinal appearance at the Asia Champions Cup in Doha. The Lebanese team overcame Smart Gilas in the quarterfinal tonight. Fadi El Khatib (199-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) knocked down 24 points to lead the effort. Al Riyadi managed to bounce back after a slow start and marched to the victory after the main break.
Smart Gilas put on a clinical defensive performance in the starting frame [read more]
Quarterfinals
Al Riyadi - Smart Gilas 74:63 Al Riyadi sealed the semifinal appearance at the Asia Champions Cup in Doha. The Lebanese team overcame Smart Gilas in the quarterfinal tonight. Fadi El Khatib (199-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) knocked down 24 points to lead the effort. Al Riyadi managed to bounce back after a slow start and marched to the victory after the main break. Smart Gilas put on a clinical defensive performance in the starting frame. They limited Al Riyadi to just 9 points and earned a 10:9 lead at the first break. The second term saw an intense battle. Neither side could surge ahead and the teams were knotted up at 34 after twenty minutes of action. Al Riyadi finally managed to take over after the long break. They fired to a 9-point advantage at the final intermission. Fadi El Khatib stepped up with 12 points in the fourth stanza helping Al Riyadi to the victory. Rony Fahed (182-G-81, agency: Pro Management Agency) and Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) knocked down 15 points apiece in the victory. Milan Vucicevic (206-F/C-85) responded with 22 points for Smart Gilas. Mark Barroca (198-F/C-88) had 15 points in the loss.
Al Rayyan - Al Hilal 97:59 Al Rayyan had no problems against Al Hilal at the quarterfinal stage of Asia Champions Cup. The hosts stunned their Saudi Arabia opponents and would now face ASU of Jordan in the semis tomorrow. Al Hilal will face Astana Tigers in the classification round. Al Rayyan did not give a single chance for the visitors. The Qatari champions exploded with 29 points in the opening frame taking a 15-point lead. The margin stayed in the second stanza. Al Rayyan arrived at the main break up by 13 points 46:33. Al Rayyan did not slow down in the third period. They established a comfortable 76:46 cushion heading into the fourth quarter. Al Hilal could not recover as Al Rayyan coasted to the win in the fourth stanza. Yasseen Musa (204-F-80) delivered 18 points for the winners. Tanguy Ngombo (196-F-89, agency: Court Side) added 16 points for the home side. Brandon Crump (208-C-82, college: Tennessee) responded with 14 points for Al Hilal. DerMarr Johnson (206-G-80, college: Cincinnati) canned 13 points in the loss.
ASU - Astana Tigers 74:59 Applied Science University of Jordan became the first semifinalists at the Asia Champions Cup in Qatar. They shot down Astana in the opening quarterfinal battle in Doha. Olumide Oyedeji (208-C/F-81) came up with 19 points and 11 rebounds to pace ASU. The Jordanian team will now take on the winner of Al Rayyan vs. Al Hilal clash. The teams stayed close in the starting frame. The Tigers managed to eke out a narrow 15:13 lead at the first break. But ASU opened the second frame with seven points in a row and surged ahead. They rolled to a 30:27 advantage at the interval. Astana tried to stay within striking distance throughout the third quarter. However ASU went on a 16:3 run late in the period to establish a comfortable 54:38 advantage. ASU stretched the gap at 20-point mark in the fourth stanza and never looked back en route to the victory. Wesam Al-Sous (183-G-83) nailed 15 points for ASU. Zaid Abbaas (203-F-83) and James Williams provided 14 points each in the win. Aleksandr Tiutiunik (199-F-90) accounted for 16 points for the Tigers. Anton Ponomarev (209-C/F-88, agency: Court Side) netted 10 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in the loss.
Mahram - Al Jalaa 88:60 The Asia Champions Cup defending champions Mahram reached the semifinal stage at this years edition of the tournament. The Iranian champions toppled Al Jalaa of Syria to move into the next stage. Samad Nikkhah (199-G/F-83, agency: SportsList Inc.) fired 21 points to pace Mahram. Jalaa well-matched the tournaments favorites in the first frame. The Syrian team stayed close and finished the starting stanza down by just two points 21:23. But Mahram speeded the game up in the second stanza. They cleared off to take a 44:34 lead at the interval. Mahram continued to stay in charge after the big break. The Iranian outfit raced to a 20-point advantage with ten minutes remaining. Al Jalaa were not able to recover in the final stanza. Mahram cruised to the victory and would take on either Al Riyadi or Smart Gilas at the semifinal stage. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) knocked down 17 points for Mahram. Loren Woods (218-C-78, college: Arizona) delivered 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Chudney Gray (188-G-78, college: St.John's) answered with 16 points for Al Jalaa. Garnett Thompson (207-F/C-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Providence) finished with 11 points in the losing effort.
Copyright (c) 1998-2010 Eurobasket Inc. Disclaimer
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site !
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the site, nor will you attempt to do so.
