Asia Champions Cup. Finals - May. 20,
2008 Championship Game
SABA Battery - Rayyan 82:75
The Iranian powerhouse SABA Battery clinched the second straight Asia Champions
Cup title yesterday. They overpowered Qatari Rayyan in the championship game in
Kuwait. The game turned into a dramatic contest with the sides keeping it on
level terms for the major part of the game. However
DaJuan Tate (196-G/F-81, college:
Mountain
St.) accounted for a couple of key points in the dying minutes to propel the
SABA Battery to an impressive success. SABA Battery and Rayyan exchanged the
blows early in the encounter with the Iranian outfit grabbing a 16:15 lead at
the first intermission. Rayyan relied on solid performance from
Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college:
N.Mexico)
to regain the control over the game in the second quarter. Rayyans American
import came up with 15 points in the frame and Qatari team claimed a 10-point
advantage at halftime. The things changed radically in the third stanza and SABA
Battery started to claw their way back.
DaJuan Tate and
Gabe
Muoneke (200-F-78, college:
Texas)
teamed up to ignite a 32:14 rally that put SABA in front 61:53 after three
quarters of action.
Eric Chatfield came up with a trey to tie it all at 68 late in regulation.
DaJuan Tate answered with 7 straight points to carry SABA to safe distance
and they ensured the winning outcome at the end.
DaJuan Tate scored 30 points to lead all scorers.
Gabe
Muoneke added 26 points, while
Hamed Hadadi (218-C-85, agency:
Huss
Sport Agency) nailed 18 points for the winners.
Eric Chatfield knocked down 29 points to pace Rayyan.
Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) accounted for 15 points and
Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college:
UNLV)
had 13 in defeat.
Wasl - Riyadi 87:82
Al Wasl stepped on the pedestal as they outgunned Riyadi in the Bronze medals
final yesterday. The victory marked a historic event for the Emirates basketball
as Wasl became the first ever team from the country to grab medals at the Asia
Champions Cup. Riyadi meanwhile returned to the event after a 10-year pause and
failed to overcome the result that achieved in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 (Bronze
medals).
The Lebanese team got to an aggressive start and cleared off to a 29:20 distance
at the end of the first frame. However Ivorian import
Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college:
Rutgers)
stepped up for Wasl and paced them back into fight. Wasl trimmed the gap to 3
points at halftime as the tension mounted. The teams traded baskets in what
turned out to be a seesaw third frame. Still Wasl found the way to jump in front
as they grabbed a 65:63 lead heading into the fourth stanza. The pressure
escalated on both sides in the dying moments but
Herve Lamizana was superb as he kept it cool and doomed Riyadi in the crunch
time. The Ivorian tallied game-high 30 points to propel Wasl to a historic
third-place finish. Ibraheem Ahmad contributed 22 points and Rashed Al-Zaabi
launched 15 for the winners.
Joe
Vogel (211-C-73, agency:
Pro
Management Agency, college:
Colorado St.)
answered with 28 points for Riyadi.
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency:
Pro
Management Agency) came up with 26 points in a losing case. So the 19th
Edition of Asia Champions Cup was successfully completed with Wasl suffering the
only loss at the tournament and registering an impressive record as for the
teams that was widely taken as underdogs before the competition.
Asia Champions Cup. Semifinals - May.
19, 2008
Rayyan - Wasl 81:57 Qatari Rayyan entered the Asia Champions Cup Final yesterday after
beating previously undefeated Wasl in the semifinal. The Qatari outfit reached
their 5th final in the last 8 editions of the competition. Wasl started the game
without their charismatic leader Courtney Fields who was sidelined with a knee
injury. It paid off immediately as Rayyan used the dominance in height to full
advantage. Wasl managed to stay close in the starting frame due to heroics from
Ayoub Albaloushi as they trailed by 2 points after 10 minutes of action. However
Rayyan stepped on the gas in the second quarter and Wasl immediately started to
lag behind. Qatari outfit ignited a massive 29:9 rally in the second stanza to
accumulate a 22-point buffer at halftime.
Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college:
Rutgers)
was obviously out of rhythm on the night and Wasl simple ran out of options to
change the complexion of the game. Rayyan notched a 23:13 third frame to pile up
an insurmountable 32-point margin before the fourth term. Brian Lester
introduced his bench players into action in the final period with the outcome
pretty vivid. Wasl used the fact to cut the deficit a bit but it did not matter
as Rayyan headed into the tournament finale.
Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) came up with 16 points to lead Rayyan.
Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college:
UNLV)
scored 15 points, while
Saad Abdulrahman Ali (194-F-85) had 10 for the winners. Ayoub Albaloushi
answered with game-high 21 points for Wasl.
Herve Lamizana knocked down 13 points in a loss.
SABA Battery - Al Riyadi 70:68
The Asia Champions Cup defending champions SABA Battery left ups and downs of
the preliminary round behind them and now look ready to claim the second
straight title. Yesterday the Iranian outfit snatched a dramatic 70:68 win over
Lebanese Riyadi to reach the championship game. Riyadi entered the game
undefeated and hoped to stretch their spotless run. But SABA Battery put on a
strong performance to steal a narrow win at the dying minutes. Riyadi suffered a
major setback early in the encounter as their captain
Ahmad Ismail (201-F-76) got injured and struggled to return to action in the
latter stages. The injury was later rumored to be a season-ending one for Ahmad.
Riyadi looked a bit bewildered by the absence of the key player and SABA Battery
used to their advantage. The Iranian side ran away to a 42:39 lead at halftime.
The spark for Lebanese team came in the third stanza as
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency:
Pro
Management Agency) scored a couple of impressive baskets and Omar Turk
provided back up as Al Riyadi spurred ahead to an 8-point distance. SABA Battery
trimmed the gap to 3 points heading into the fourth period 51:54. But three
back-to-back trebles from Battery put the Iranian squad back on top early in the
fourth quarter. SABA Battery kept it cool throughout the fourth frame and
entered the crunch time in front. They had a 3-point advantage with seconds left
in regulation when
Fadi El Khatib was put to charity stripe. He nailed his first attempt and
then purposely missed the second one, while
Ali
Fakhreddine (202-C-83) pulled down a rebound for a chance to force overtime.
But his attempt went off target sealing the win for SABA Battery. SABA Battery
will now face Qatari Al Rayyan in the Final today.
Asia Champions Cup.
Quarterfinals - May. 17, 2008
Rayyan - Muharraq 95:78 Qatari Rayyan cruised past Muharraq of Bahrain to reach the semifinal
stage yesterday. The teams had three days of rest after the quarterfinal stage
was postponed because of the state mourning in Kuwait. So both sides were ready
to fight and come up with their best performances. It turned to be partly true
as Rayyan looked impressive down the line and posted an easy win. Qatari team
jumped to a lead late in the first frame and drove to a 23:17 advantage after 10
minutes of action. A well-balanced offensive effort from Rayyan allowed Qatari
side to stretch the gap to as many as 14 points at halftime. Rayyan did a great
defensive job limiting Muharraq leader Donald Little to only 12 points and thus
cutting the offensive options for Muharraq. Saad Ali stepped up for Rayyan in
the second half as they kept their opponents at bay and rolled to a comfortable
victory. The margin reached an 18-point mark after three quarters and Muharraq
simply lacked answers for the sizzling performance from Rayyan. The defense
eased the pressure in the fourth period as both teams fired from all distances
but Rayyan had the game under control and registered a comfortable win at the
end.
Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college:
UNLV)
provided 21 points to lead Rayyan. Saad Ali launched 18 points, while Yassen
Musa had 14 in a winning clause.
Rah-Shun Roberts (202-F-75, college:
California
(PA)) replied with 24 points for Muharraq. Mohammed Alderazi scored 24
points in defeat. Rayyan will face Wasl in the semifinal clash tomorrow.
Wasl - Zain 84:75 The Emirates Wasl sent a strong message to their opponents their
impressive preliminary round record was not a mere coincidence. They stretched
their unbeaten run to 5 games handling Zain Club in the quarterfinal yesterday.
But the road to yesterdays success was a bumpy one for Wasl. They got to a slow
start and Zain Club quickly stepped in front. The Jordanian outfit that many
thought was just gaining the speed in the preliminary action seemed to start
living up to the expectations. They looked aggressive in defense and pretty
accurate on the other side of the court to accumulate a 22:17 lead after the
first frame. The things did not change in the second frame as Zain Club kept on
forcing their issue with Wasl finding no answers for the onslaught. Zain
stretched the lead to as many as 7 points at halftime and the sensation began
shaping up. But it was a different Wasl that appeared on the court after the
break.
Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college:
Rutgers)
and
Courtney Fields (206-F-82, college:
Iona)
finally shook off their first half sloppiness and Wasl gradually took over. The
Emirates outfit first closed the gap and spurred in front 59:58 after three
quarters of action. Zain stayed close in the opening minutes of the final period
and then regained the lead 70:63 midway through the frame. But Wasl were far
from being done. They posted a stunning 21:5 run to cap the game and snatched an
outstanding victory at the end.
Herve Lamizana and
Courtney Fields scored 22 points apiece to pace Wasl. Ayoub Albaloushi
provided 13 points for the winners.
Boney Watson (183-G, college:
Sam Houston
St.) had 25 points for Zain.
Zeid Abbas (203-C-83) nailed 20 points in a losing effort. Wasl will now
face Al Rayyan in the semis.
SABA Battery - BK Almaty 88:77 The Asia Champions Cup resumed its action after a couple of days of
mourning after the death of Emir of Kuwait. Yesterday the quarterfinal games
were played and the defending champions SABA Battery claimed their semifinal
spot. With the semifinal birth at stake SABA Battery turned on to the maximum
speed to dominate right from the start. The Iranian outfit easily jumped to a
25:14 after the opening frame but the game was far from settled. BK Almaty kept
a steady line and gradually cut the gap to 4 points at the long break. The
Kazakh team stayed competitive throughout the third period as their trademark
tough defense proved quite difficult for SABA to deal with. But Samad Nikkah
drained a couple of three-pointers and the reigning champions enjoyed a 66:60
lead with a quarter to go. SABA stepped on the gas in the final term and looked
more aggressive in the long run.
Gabe
Muoneke (200-F-78, college:
Texas)
took over the floor in the dying minutes leading SABA to an impressive victory.
He finished with game-high 26 points for the victors. Samad Nikkah produced 24
points, while Hamed Hadadi scored 17 points in a winning case.
Vsevolod Fadeykin (206-G-85) answered with 25 points for BK Almaty. Mikhail
Yevstigneev netted 24 points in defeat. SABA Battery will take on undefeated
Wasl in the semis tomorrow.
Qadsia - Riyadi 80:91
The hosting Qadsia had to leave the Asia Champions Cup early yesterday after
they were held off by Riyadi in the quarterfinal. The hosts had somehow
unconvincing performance during the preliminary round and finished their Pool
just at the 4th spot. Thus they had to face the top-seeded Riyadi in the opening
round of the knockout stage. Qadsia threw everything they have to keep
competitive in this one. They were supported by a sell-out crowd and looked
ready to challenge the Lebanese outfit from the start. The teams traded baskets
at the start but the experienced Riyadi squad found the way to enjoy a 22:19
lead after the starting frame. Qadsia remained close throughout the second
period with
Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college:
St.John's)
leading the charge for the hosts. Riyadi however did not allow the home team to
step in front and completed the first half up by 4 points. The breakthrough for
the visitors came early in the third stanza as Omar Turk and Ali Mahmoud
converted some fastbreaks and Riyadi jumped to a 66:54 lead. Qadsia ran out of
steam in the fourth stanza as they never threatened the advantage seriously
allowing Riyadi to coast to an overall victory.
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency:
Pro
Management Agency) provided 28 points to pace the winners.
Ahmad Ismail (201-F-76) knocked down 24 points, while Omar Turk scored 17 in
a win.
Alpha Bangura dropped 24 points for Qadsia.
Abdul Aziz Mohammad (186-F-87) added 15 points in a losing effort. So now
Riyadi will take on the Cup defending champions SABA Battery in the semifinal
tomorrow.
Quarterfinals to be played on
Friday - May. 15, 2008
Source: FIBA-Asia
Action in the 19th FIBA Asia Champions Cup, which was deferred owing to the
death of the former Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Saad Abdullah al-Sabah, will resume on
Friday.
The Technical Committee of the Champions Cup, which met on Wednesday decided to
hold the quarterfinals which were originally scheduled for Wednesday on Friday.
The committee also decided to hold the semifinals on Sunday and the final on
Monday.
The committee further decided to call off the play-off matches to decide the
5-10 positions.
Asia Champions Cup. Day 5 - May. 13,
2008 Zain
Club - MUBA Hangtuah 100:59 Jordanian Zain Club finished their preliminary action at the Asia
Champions Cup on a high note. They eased past MUBA Hangtuah to reach the
quarterfinal stage. In the meantime Indonesian outfit was knocked out of the
playoffs and they would play for the 9th spot against ONGC from India. The teams
kept it close in the starting frame with Zain Club forcing no issue. Zain
however shrugged off their energy-saving style of play in the second period.
Wesam Alsoos fueled a 30:10 run from Jordanian team as they rolled to a 24-point
lead at the interval. MUBA Hangtuah struggled offensively in the third stanza as
well accounting for just 10 points and heading into the fourth frame down by as
many as 40 points. The Indonesian team never recovered at the late stages and
had to surrender at the end. Wesam Alsoos finished with game-high 24 points for
Zain.
Enver Soobzokov (193-G/F-78, college:
Cal.St.-San
Bernar.) netted 17 points, while Boney Watson provided 16 for the winners.
Marquello Morgan came up with 15 points for MABU.
Marcus Jacobs (183-G-80, college:
Tarleton
St.) dropped 14 points in a loss. Zain Club next takes on Al Wasl in the
quarterfinal clash. MABU Hangtuah will challenge ONGC from India on Wednesday in
the fight for the 9th spot.
Al Rayyan - BK Almaty 89:68 The Asia Champions Cup preliminary round has ended with the teams
preparing for the quarterfinal battles now. Yesterday the curtain fell with 8
teams figuring out the last placing in the Groups. In Group A Qatari Al Rayyan
topples BK Almaty from Kazakhstan to claim the second spot. The trademark
defense from BK Almaty did not well quite smoothly right from the start and Al
Rayyan easily ran away to a 32:15 distance after the first frame.
Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college:
N.Mexico)
paced well balanced Al Rayyan offense and the team enjoyed a 24-point cushion
before the fourth period. BK Almaty simply could not match their opponents tempo
and trailed by unassailable 25 points after three quarters of action. Vsevolod
Fadeykin helped Kazakh team cut the deficit a bit in the fourth period but it
never influenced the outcome as Al Rayyan posted their 3rd win in the
tournament.
Eric Chatfield scored 28 points for Qatari team.
Daoud Musa (193-G-82) dropped 23 points, while Dalron Johnson had 15 points
in a winning case.
Mikhail Evstigneev (203-F-84) and Vsevolod Fadeykin nailed 20 points apiece
for BK Almaty. BK Almaty will now face the defending champions SABA Battery in
the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Al Rayyan will be opposed by Al Muharraq at the
stage. Al Rayyan coach Brian Lester stressed the necessity of playing a tougher
defense against Al Muharraq in order to celebrate success. Al Rayyan can hope
for some big results this season as
Eric Chatfield seems to glue well with Dalron Johnson and the duo is a
dangerous weapon against any side.
Al Wasl - Al Qadsia 83:82 The Emirates Al Wasl extended their perfect run to 4 games beating Al
Qadsia in the final round of preliminary action at the Asia Champions Cup in
Kuwait. Al Wasl won all of their Pool B games and finished atop the ladder. The
game turned into a real heated battle though the sides had nothing but pride to
lose. Al Wasl jumped into an early lead as they dominated 29:22 the first frame.
The Emirates outfit widened the margin to 8 points at halftime and seemed to
roll confidently to victory. A tested duo of
Courtney Fields (206-F-82, college:
Iona)
and
Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college:
Rutgers)
had another outstanding night and allowed Al Wasl to maintain an 11-point
cushion before the fourth stanza. But Al Qadsia showed their character and
struck back in the fourth term.
Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college:
St.John's)
ignited a comeback effort from the hosts as Al Qadsia knotted things up and
forced overtime. However it was Al Wasl to come up big in the extra period.
Alpha Bangura picked up his fifth foul and then Herve Lamizna sealed the
outcome for Al Wasl from free throw line as the Emirates side slipped away with
a narrow win.
Courtney Fields knocked down 24 points and 12 boards for the winners.
Herve Lamizana launched 21 points for Al Wasl.
Alpha Bangura produced game-high 25 points and 8 boards for Al Qadsia.
Abdullah Al Sarraf (194-F-82) had 23 points in a losing effort. Al Wasl set
up a quarterfinal showdown against Zain Club from Jordan on Wednesday. Al Qadsia
will take on the tournament favorites Al Riyadi on the same day.
SABA Battery - Al Muharraq 92:68 SABA Battery forgot sour memories of the preliminary loss to Al Wasl
and kept on winning. In the final game in Pool B the Asia Champions Cup
defending champions handled Al Muharraq from Bahrain and booked the second spot
in the Group. The defeat however still allowed Al Muharraq to reach the
quarterfinal stage where they would play against Al Rayyan. SABA Battery jumped
to an early dominance as they outscored their opponents 33:17 in the starting
frame. The margin was stretched to as many as 30 points at halftime and Iranian
team never looked back afterwards. The game was a battle of imports duets as
Gabe
Muoneke (200-F-78, college:
Texas)
and DaJuan Tate paced SABA Battery, while
Rah-Shun Roberts (202-F-75, college:
California
(PA)) and Donald Little led the charge for Bahrain team. SABA Battery
exploded with 21 points in the third stanza bruising Al Muharraq and leaving
them with an insurmountable 37-point deficit before the final period. Al
Muharraq cut the gap in the fourth frame but never seriously threatened Iranian
side. SABA Battery finalized a confident success at the end and would take on BK
Almaty in the quarterfinal clash. Gabe
Muoneke led the action with 22 points for SABA Battery. DaJuan Tate provided
17 points, while Mahdi Kamrani notched 11 points for the winners.
Rah-Shun Roberts scored 21 points for Al Muharraq. Donald Little produced 20
points in a losing case. The tournament will take a day pause before enjoying
the quarterfinal battles.
Asia Champions Cup. Day 4 - May. 12,
2008 Al Riyadi - Al Rayyan 88:79
Al Riyadi registered their fourth straight victory beating Al Rayyan yesterday.
Thus Lebanese powerhouse booked the top spot in Pool A and qualified for the
quarterfinal stage. There they will take on Al Qadsia from Kuwait as the hosts
have already slated their 4th place finish in Group B. Al Rayyan meanwhile
suffered their first loss at the tournament and remained at the second spot just
behind Al Riyadi. The teams were well matched in the starting minutes as neither
side was able to spur ahead. The things were all tied at 20 after one quarter of
action. However
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency:
Pro
Management Agency) fueled Al Riyadi fierce rally in the second quarter as
Lebanese team cleared off to a 12-point distance. However Al Rayyan were not
taken aback.
Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college:
N.Mexico)
and
Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college:
UNLV)
kept on delivering points and the gap was eventually narrowed to 6 points after
three quarters. But it was
Fadi El Khatib who had the last laugh in this game as he came up with some
vital baskets in the fourth term to propel Al Riyadi to a difficult victory at
the end. He finished with game-high 27 points to lead Al Riyadi.
Ali
Mahmoud (182-G-83) launched 23 points, while Ismail Ahmad dropped 21 for the
winners.
Eric Chatfield provided 23 points for Al Rayyan.
Dalron Johnson had 16 points in a losing effort. Al Rayyan will play against
BK Almaty in the last preliminary round today.
BK Almaty - Zain 76:60
Kazakhstan sensation BK Almaty posted their second win at the Asia Champions Cup
yesterday. This time they quite easily handled Zain Club from Jordan to improve
to 2-1 record in Group A ladder. Zain meanwhile suffered their third straight
defeat and put themselves on the edge of missing the playoffs. They now must
beat Muba Hangtuah today to make it to the quarterfinals. BK Almaty started the
game playing an aggressive defense while Zain Club looked sloppy at the early
stages. BK Almaty jumped to a 24:15 lead after the starting frame and kept
mounting the pressure. They held Zain Club to 11 points in the second quarter
and stretched the gap to 14 points at halftime. BK Almaty never looked back in
the second half and rolled to a confident victory.
Vsevolod Fadeykin (206-G-85) topscored with 21 points for BK Almaty. Anton
Kataev provided 19 points in a winning case. Mohammad Hadrab nailed 22 points
for Zain Club. Mosa Bashir dropped 13 points in a losing effort. Zain Club head
coach Maz Trakh did not draw too much attention to the loss. He underlined the
importance of the experience gained by his bench players in the game of such
level and pointed out that one win would suit his team to reach quarterfinal.
Zain play against Indonesian Muba Hangtuah for the last ticket to the playoffs
from Pool A. BK Almaty will take on Al Rayyan later tonight.
SABA Battery - ONGC Dehradoon 130:76
The Asia Champions Cup title holders Iranian SABA Battery is back in the winning
track. They entered the tournament as one of the biggest favorites but the
status received a major blow on Friday. SABA Battery were surprisingly beaten by
Al Wasl and the result had arisen some questions about the Iranian champs form.
ONGC from India had the last chance to stay in the title race and they needed a
victory. But their hopes went astray in the opening stanza. SABA jumped to an
early 35:10 lead and looked too good for ONGC at the moment. The game evened in
the second and third stanzas with ONGC keeping a steady offensive income.
However Iranian team exploded once again in the fourth period knocking down 38
points and finalizing a massive win.
DaJuan Tate (196-G/F-81, college:
Mountain
St.) came up with 42 points and 6 boards for SABA Battery.
Kamran Jamshidvand (187-F-80) scored 26 points and Mahdi Kamrani had 12 for
the winners.
Desraj (189-F) nailed 23 points for ONGC. Muraleekrishnan dropped 15 points
in a losing case. SABA Battery will take on AL Muharraq in the final game of the
preliminary round today. ONGC will wait for the result of the final round in
Pool A to get to know their opponents in the game for the 9th spot.
Al Wasl - Al Muharraq 116:88 The Emirates Al Wasl extended their winning streak to 3 games toping Al
Muharraq yesterday. Both sides entered the game undefeated and hoped to stretch
their winning run. The teams traded buckets early on but gradually Al Wasl took
over. They used a tough defense to limit Al Muharraq offensive options and
keeping them away from the paint. It worked pretty well as Al Wasl accumulated a
31:18 lead after the starting frame. Al Muharraq however stayed contestant in
the second period as
Donald Little (211-C-78, agency:
EM-PA,
college:
Cincinnati) was on fire for Bahrain side. Al Wasl enjoyed a 12-point
advantage at halftime but went on a run right after the break.
Courtney Fields (206-F-82, college:
Iona)
and Herve Lamizana teamed up to ignite a 33:16 rally from the Emirates outfit as
Al Wasl cleared off to an insurmountable distance. Al Muharraq never threatened
the lead in the fourth period and suffered their first loss at the tournament.
Courtney Fields led Al Wasl with 25 points and 12 boards. Herve Lamizana had
19 points and 11 boards in a win.
Donald Little answered with game-high 32 points and 10 boards in defeat. Al
Wasl will now play against Al Qadsia in the final round of preliminary action.
Al Muharraq will try to secure the second spot in the clash with the defending
champions SABA Battery. Al Wasl win also meant that Al Qadsia will finish fourth
in Pool B.
Al Wasl:
Courtney Fields 25+12 boards, Herve Lamizana 19+11 boards, Ibrahim Ahmad 17 Al Muharraq:
Donald Little 32+10 boards, Mohammad Mohammad 21
Asia Champions Cup. Day 3 - May. 11,
2008 BK Almaty - Muba Hangtuah 71:49 Kazakhstan BK Almaty strengthened their position in preliminary Pool A
at the Asia Champions Cup in Kuwait. They overcame Indonesian Muba Hangtuah for
the first win at the tournament. It allowed Kazakh team to improve to 1-1 record
and stay hopeful about their chances to reach quarterfinal stage. Muba Hangtuah
meanwhile slipped to 0-3 record and need pure luck to stay in title race. BK
Almaty understood it was a good chance for them to open the victories count for
them and they fired from all guns early in the game. It worked pretty smoothly
as BK Almaty jumped to a 25:14 lead after the starting frame. But Muba Hangtuah
never was an easy take as they struck back in the second frame. Indonesian team
trimmed the gap to just 7 points at the long break. But a perfect defensive
effort from BK Almaty limited their opponents to only 6 points in the third
stanza as the Kazakhstan squad went on a 24:6 run to clear off to a safe
distance. Muba Hangtuah recovered in the final frame but it was too late to
threaten BK Almaty lead.
Anton Kataev (201-F-84) led the action with 19 points for BK Almaty.
Vsevolod Fadeykin had 14 points, while Mikhail Evtigneev launched 13 points in a
win.
Adhitya Tuhagono (178-G-84) answered with 13 points for MubaHang. Marcus
Jacobs nailed 12 points in defeat. BK Almaty will face winless Zain Club later
tonight. Muba Hangtuah will a have a bye round before taking on Zain Club
tomorrow.
Al Muharraq - Al Qadsia 83:69 Bahrain powerhouse Al Muharraq extended their winning streak at the
Asia Champions Cup in Kuwait. Yesterday they faced a touch challenge as they
took on the hosting Al Qadsia in the third round of action. Al Qadsia looked
forward rebounded quickly after the starting loss to SABA Battery to handle
Dehadroon in the second round. With emotions flying high Al Qadsia took on Al
Muharraq full of optimism. But Bahrain outfit proved they should be taken
seriously and left no chance for the home team to improve to 2-0 record in the
ladder. The hosts jumped to a quick start as they enjoyed a 22:19 lead after on
quarter of action. Al Muharraq struggled to adjust the defense and still trailed
35:37 at halftime. However
Ebrahim Alderazi stepped up for the Al Muharraq to ignite a comeback effort
in the second half. He led the charge for the visitors as they surged ahead in
the third period. Moreover Al Muharraq finally managed to follow John Wojtaks
defensive tasks and Al Qadsia started to lag behind. The visitors hit on all
cylinders in the fourth period and easily ran away to safe distance at the end.
Ebrahim Alderazi provided 20 points to lead Al Muharraq.
Donald Little (211-C-78, agency:
EM-PA,
college:
Cincinnati) scored 15 points, while Rah-Shun Roberts and Mohammad Mohammad
nailed 13 points apiece for the winners.
Alpha Bangura (197-F/G-80, college:
St.John's)
and Abdul Aziz Mohammad drained 15 points apiece to pace Al Qadsia. Shayee Saeed
launched 14 points in a loss. Al Muharraq faces Al Wahl in the showdown in Pool
B. Al Qadsia take a bye round today.
