SBL Round 19: Al Nassr defeat Al Ahli

The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Al Ahli (17-2) in Jeddah on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by Al Nassr (17-2) 73-69. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American players dominated the game. Worth to mention a great performance of swingman Brandon Austin (198-1994, college: NW Florida St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Forward Antonio Campbell (206-1994, college: Ohio) contributed with 16 points and 12 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winners. Forward Deandre Liggins (198-1988, college: Kentucky) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals for Al Ahli. Al Nassr have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. They used an opportunity after Al Ahli lost their game and moved up joining them at the top position which they share with defeated Al Ahli. Al Nassr is looking forward to face Al Salam (#9) in Al-Awamiyah in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Ahli will play on the road against Ohod (#3) in Medina and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Important game to mention about took place in Al Hasa. Fourth ranked Al Fateh (14-5) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 5th ranked Al Wehda (11-8) 85-84 in the fight for the fourth place. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Wehda. It was a great evening for Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-1990) who led his team to a victory with a triple-double by scoring 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Falando Jones helped adding 19 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side the former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-1989) responded with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds. The victory was the third consecutive win for Al Fateh. They maintain fourth place with 14-5 record. Al Wehda at the other side keeps the fifth position with eight games lost. They share it with Al Hilal. Al Fateh will play against Al Taawoun (#10) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play against Ittihad (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between fifth ranked Al Hilal (11-8) and 10th ranked Al Taawoun (3-16) in Riyadh on Friday ended with biggest points difference. Al Hilal beat guests from 85-70. It was a quality performance for Clinton Chapman who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds. Darious Clark came up with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists for Al Taawoun in the defeat. Defending champion maintains fifth place with 11-8 record, which they share with Al Wehda. Al Taawoun lost their third game in a row. Newly promoted team keeps the tenth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Al Adalah. Al Hilal will meet Deba (#8) in the next round. Al Taawoun will play against Al Fateh and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 19 were not that significant. Ohod beat Al Adalah on the road 101-97. Al Salam won against Deba on its own court 75-62. Bottom-ranked Al Ansar unfortunately lost to Ittihad in Jeddah 71-79.

Al Adalah - Ohod 97-101

No shocking result in a game when third ranked Ohod (15-4) beat on the road 11th ranked Al Adalah (3-16) 101-97 on Thursday. Ohod looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Jordan Washington (203-1993, college: Iona, agency: Interperformances) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 39 points (!!!) and 18 rebounds (on 17-of-21 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Fahad Belal (181-1991) accounted for 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the winning side. Russian forward Andrey Semenov (200-1990, college: JMU) came up with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 14 rebounds and Tunisian swingman Islem Elajmi (196-1991) added 32 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals respectively for Al Adalah in the defeat. Four Al Adalah players scored in double figures. Ohod maintains third place with 15-4 record having just two points less than leader Al Ahli. Al Adalah lost their tenth game in a row. Newly promoted team dropped to the tenth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Al Taawoun. Ohod will meet at home league's leader Al Ahli in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Al Adalah will play against Al Ansar (#12) in Medina and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ohod: J.Washington 39+18reb+2ast, F.Belal 25+10reb+10ast, A.Almukhtar 11+4reb+3ast, J.Justice 9+2reb+4ast, S.Mohammad 7+3reb+1ast, A.Ahmed 4+3reb+1ast
Al Adalah: I.Elajmi 32+6reb+8ast, A.Semenov 30+14reb+2ast, F.Aldawsari 14+4reb+10ast, A.Moayad 14+9reb+1ast, A.Redha 4+1reb, A.Salman 3+2reb+2ast

Al Fateh - Al Wehda 85-84

Important game to mention about took place in Al Hasa. Fourth ranked Al Fateh (14-5) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 5th ranked Al Wehda (11-8) 85-84 in the fight for the fourth place. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Wehda. Al Fateh players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. It was a great evening for Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-1990) who led his team to a victory with a triple-double by scoring 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. American guard Falando Jones (193-1990, college: MVSU) helped adding 19 points and 6 rebounds. Four Al Fateh players scored in double figures. At the losing side the former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-1989) responded with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds and American forward Dewayne Jackson (203-1990, college: Morgan St.) scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The victory was the third consecutive win for Al Fateh. They maintain fourth place with 14-5 record. Al Wehda at the other side keeps the fifth position with eight games lost. They share it with Al Hilal. Al Fateh will play against Al Taawoun (#10) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play against Ittihad (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: M.Harat 24+15reb+10ast, F.Jones 19+6reb+3ast, H.Al Mohammed 15+6reb+1ast, A.Saad 10+2reb, A.Mohammed 8+7reb+5ast, A.Hesham 6+1reb+2ast
Al Wehda: M.AlMarwani 27+12reb+2ast, D.Jackson 20+7reb+6ast, M.Thamer 17+6reb+3ast, C.Collins 9+3reb+5ast, B.Husam 7+6reb+1ast, A.Mohammed 4+2ast

Al Hilal - Al Taawoun 85-70

The game between fifth ranked Al Hilal (11-8) and 10th ranked Al Taawoun (3-16) in Riyadh on Friday ended with biggest points difference. Al Hilal beat guests from 85-70. Al Hilal dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Al Taawoun's 40. They outrebounded Al Taawoun 52-36 including a 40-28 advantage in defensive rebounds. Al Hilal looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. It was a quality performance for American power forward Clinton Chapman (208-1989, college: Texas) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds. The former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) accounted for 19 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. Five Al Hilal players scored in double figures. American guard Darious Clark (193-1990, college: Slippery Rock, agency: Domantay Sports) came up with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists and Serbian power forward Aleksandar Marelja (207-1992, agency: BeoBasket) added 19 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for Al Taawoun in the defeat. Defending champion maintains fifth place with 11-8 record, which they share with Al Wehda. Al Taawoun lost their third game in a row. Newly promoted team keeps the tenth position with 16 games lost. They share it with Al Adalah. Al Hilal will meet Deba (#8) in the next round. Al Taawoun will play against Al Fateh and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Hilal: C.Chapman 27+15reb+3ast, A.Mohammed 19+16reb+4ast, N.Alabsi 15+8reb+5ast, K.Abdel-Gabar 13+7reb+9ast, O.Albargawi 10+4reb+1ast, H.Zakaria 1+1reb+1ast
Al Taawoun: D.Clark 23+12reb+9ast, A.Marelja 19+11reb+4ast, S.Almutairi 15+2reb+1ast, A.Ahmad 7+5reb+3ast, A.Mustafa 6+4reb+1ast, A.Azhar 0+2reb

Al Salam - Deba 75-62

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams when 8th ranked Deba (5-13) lost to ninth ranked Al Salam (7-12) in Al-Awamiyah 62-75 on Friday. It was an exceptional evening for American center Anthony McClain (211-1988, college: Cincinnati) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 20 rebounds. His fellow American import forward Nick Stover (198-1993, college: USA) accounted for 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Stover is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Al Salam players scored in double figures. Ukrainian center Vladyslav Koreniuk (210-1994, agency: BIG) came up with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds and American guard Unique McLean (188, college: SFC, agency: Blacktop Management) added 22 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Deba in the defeat. The victory was the third consecutive win for Al Salam. They maintain ninth place with 7-12 record. Deba lost their third game in a row. They keep the eighth position with 13 games lost. Al Salam will meet league's second-placed Al Nassr in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Deba will play against Al Ansar (#12) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: N.Stover 19+5reb+5ast, A.Bader 18+3reb, A.Nimer Hussain 12+2reb+3ast, A.McClain 10+20reb+1ast, A.Abdulaziz 9+1reb, S.Rashad 4+1ast
Deba: V.Koreniuk 24+15reb+3ast, U.McLean 22+6reb+1ast, K.Mahmoud 8+6reb+6ast, H.Jassim 4, I.Suhail 2+2reb, A.Osama 2+6reb+1ast

Ittihad - Al Ansar 79-71

Very predictable result when seventh ranked Ittihad (9-10) won against bottom-ranked Al Ansar (1-17) in Jeddah 79-71 on Friday. Ittihad forced 26 Al Ansar turnovers. It was an exceptional evening for Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-1993) who led the winners and scored 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international Mathna Almarwani (186-1992) accounted for 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. American power forward KenDarrius Hamilton (206-1996, college: Tennessee St.) came up with a double-double by scoring 17 points and 19 rebounds and the other American import guard Kelechi Ajukwa (201-1995, college: Charlotte) added 26 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Al Ansar in the defeat. Ittihad maintains seventh place with 9-10 record. Al Ansar lost their seventeenth game in a row. They stay dead last with 17 lost games. Ittihad will meet higher ranked Al Wehda (#6) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Ansar will play against Deba (#8) in Tabuk and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Ittihad: O.Abada 32+7reb+6ast, M.Almarwani 23+10reb+4ast, A.Yasir 12+3reb+3ast, F.Abdullah 5+7reb, A.Abdelmalek 3+4reb+4ast, A.AlMadani 2+1reb
Al Ansar: K.Ajukwa 26+10reb+1ast, K.Hamilton 17+19reb+1ast, A.Salman 11+3reb+3ast, A.Ahmed 8+2reb, A.Ahmed 5+1ast, S.Khaled 4+2reb+5ast

Al Ahli - Al Nassr 69-73

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Al Ahli (17-2) in Jeddah on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by Al Nassr (17-2) 73-69. It was a key game for the top position in the league. American players dominated the game. Worth to mention a great performance of swingman Brandon Austin (198-1994, college: NW Florida St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Forward Antonio Campbell (206-1994, college: Ohio) contributed with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winners. Four Al Nassr players scored in double figures. Forward Deandre Liggins (198-1988, college: Kentucky) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals and forward King Revolution (206-1990, college: Southern, agency: BIG) added 18 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Al Ahli. Al Nassr have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. They used an opportunity after Al Ahli lost their game and moved up joining them at the top position which they share with defeated Al Ahli. Al Nassr is looking forward to face Al Salam (#9) in Al-Awamiyah in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Ahli will play on the road against Ohod (#3) in Medina and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Al Nassr: B.Austin 23+10reb+4ast, A.Campbell 16+12reb+2ast, J.Al Kabe 14+6reb+3ast, T.Almuhanna 10+1reb+2ast, F.Fahad 6+2reb+2ast, A.Jallas Nasser 4+8reb+1ast
Al Ahli: D.Liggins 22+11reb+8ast, K.Revolution 18+7reb+1ast, A.Shubayli 10+7reb+2ast, M.Almuwallad 8+9reb+3ast, B.Ayman 7+3reb+1ast, M.Abdulrahman 4+1reb



Tags : BRANDON AUSTIN, AL NASSR RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIAN BASKETBALL