SBL Round 7 (Regular Season): Al Hilal keep a leadership position

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Al Hilal as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Al Hilal smashed 10th ranked Al Salam in Riyadh 108-71. Al Hilal shot 60.9 percent from the field and made 17-of-18 free shots (94.4 percent) during the game. Al Hilal had a 29-18 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. It was a great evening for the former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 20 rebounds and 4 assists (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field). American guard Antwan Scott (185-1992, college: Colorado St.) helped adding 18 points and 8 assists (made all of his ten free throws !!!). At the losing side American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) responded with 27 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Undefeated Al Hilal (7-0) have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Al Nassr and Ittihad. Al Salam lost their fifth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with six games lost. Al Salam will play next round against strong Al Nassr trying to get back on the winning streak. Al Hilal will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Al Fateh in Al Hasa.
Undefeated Al Ahli (6-1) recorded its first loss in Jeddah. Hosts were rolled over by seventh ranked Ohod (3-4) 87-66. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Al Ahli. It was an exceptional evening for South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Deng (203-1992, college: Baylor) who led the winners and scored 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jonathon Simmons accounted for 16 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for Al Ahli in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Ohod. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Fateh. Defending champion Al Ahli dropped to the fourth position with one game lost. Ohod will play against higher ranked Ittihad (#3) in Jeddah in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Ahli will play on the road against Al Wehda in Mecca and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Jeddah between Ittihad and Al Wehda. Leader Ittihad (7-0) got a very close home victory over 5th ranked Al Wehda (4-3). Ittihad managed to escape with a 1-point win 86-85 on Friday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Wehda. James Edwards Jr. fired 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. Mamadou Samb produced a double-double by scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists for lost side. Al Wehda's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. The victory was the seventh consecutive win for Ittihad. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Hilal and Al Nassr. Al Wehda at the other side keeps the fifth place with three games lost. Ittihad will meet Ohod (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play against Al Ahli and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 7: Al Fateh lost to undefeated Al Nassr on the opponent's court 71-78. Winless Al Taawoun was outscored by Al Khaleej in a home game 68-87. Al Safa managed to beat Deba on the road 78-75.



Al Ahli - Ohod 66-87

Undefeated Al Ahli (6-1) recorded its first loss in Jeddah. Hosts were rolled over by seventh ranked Ohod (3-4) 87-66. It ended at the same time the six-game winning streak of Al Ahli. Ohod players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists. It was an exceptional evening for South Sudanese-Australian forward Deng Deng (203-1992, college: Baylor) who led the winners and scored 22 points and 8 rebounds. American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) accounted for 16 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the winning side. Four Ohod players scored in double figures. American forward Devin Ebanks (206-1989, college: WVU) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and the former international point guard Marzouq Almuwallad (180-1992) added 17 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Al Ahli in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Ohod. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Fateh. Defending champion Al Ahli dropped to the fourth position with one game lost. Ohod will play against higher ranked Ittihad (#3) in Jeddah in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Al Ahli will play on the road against Al Wehda in Mecca and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ohod: D.Deng 22+8reb+2ast, J.Simmons 16+6reb+10ast, H.Sims 15+5reb, F.Belal 13+7reb+7ast, S.Mohammad 6+7reb+3ast, A.Abdulaziz 6+3reb+2ast
Al Ahli: D.Ebanks 19+10reb+4ast, M.Almuwallad 17+8reb+3ast, K.Kadji 11+2reb+3ast, K.Mohammed 4+4reb, A.Shubayli 4+8reb, K.Mohammed 3+1reb

Al Nassr - Al Fateh 78-71

Very expected game in Riyadh where 6th ranked Al Fateh (3-4) was defeated by leader Al Nassr (7-0) 78-71 on Friday. American guard PJ Hardy (185-1998, college: Louisiana) fired 27 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. The former international forward Musab Kadi (196-1999) chipped in 25 points and 6 rebounds. American-Dominican forward Edgar Sosa (189-1988, college: Louisville) produced 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and forward Mohammed Alsaqer added 16 points and 8 rebounds respectively for lost side. The victory was the seventh consecutive win for Al Nassr. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Hilal and Ittihad. Al Fateh lost their third game in a row. They keep the sixth place with four games lost. They share the position with Ohod. Al Nassr will meet Al Salam (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Fateh will play against the league's leader Al Hilal (#1) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Nassr: P.Hardy 27+7reb+3ast, K.Musab 25+6reb+2ast, C.Bragg Jr. 15+6reb+2ast, A.Jallas Nasser 8+6reb, A.Salem 2, T.Almuhanna 1+1reb
Al Fateh: E.Sosa 23+6reb+7ast, A.Mohammed 16+8reb+2ast, A.Campbell 14+8reb+1ast, A.Fairley 6+6reb+1ast, A.Al-Tamamr 5, A.Saad 4+2reb+1ast

Al Taawoun - Al Khaleej 68-87

Rather predictable result when ninth ranked Al Khaleej (2-5) smashed on the road bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (0-7) 87-68 on Friday. Derek Cedor fired 25 points for the winners. Congolese-French forward Nobel Boungou-Colo (202-1988) chipped in 18 points. Four Al Khaleej players scored in double figures. Al Khaleej's coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. American guard Jordan Barham (194-1994, college: Davidson) produced 24 points and 5 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) added 18 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) respectively for lost side. Al Khaleej moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Al Safa. Al Taawoun lost their seventh game in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. They share the position with Deba. Al Khaleej will meet at home bottom-ranked Deba (#12) in the next round. Al Taawoun will play against Al Safa in Safwa and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Khaleej: C.Derek 25+1reb+1ast, N.Boungou-Colo 18+3reb+1ast, M.Almutairi 18+1reb, A.James 15+2reb, E.Ibrahim 9+3reb+2ast, A.Al-Darweesh 2
Al Taawoun: J.Barham 24+5reb, M.Loncar 18+9reb+2ast, A.Omar 9, A.Alwaleed 8+6reb, D.Gilmore 6+1reb, K.Mahmoud 2+2reb+4ast

Deba - Al Safa 75-78

Not a big story in a game in Tabuk where bottom-ranked Deba (0-7) was edged by ninth ranked Al Safa (2-5) 78-75 on Friday. Al Safa dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Deba's 32. American guard Dallas Morgan (185, college: CMU) fired 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals for the winners (made all of his eight free throws). His fellow American import forward Dikembe Dixson (201-1996, college: UIC) chipped in 20 points and 7 rebounds. American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) produced 33 points (!!!), 9 rebounds and 7 assists and American-Belizean power forward Jamell Harris (208-1991, college: EMU) added 13 points and 14 rebounds respectively for lost side. Al Safa moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Al Khaleej. Deba lost their seventh game in a row. They still close the standings with seven games lost. They share the position with Al Taawoun. Al Safa will meet at home Al Taawoun (#11) in the next round. Deba will play against Al Khaleej and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Safa: D.Morgan 25+9reb+7ast, D.Dixson 20+7reb, A.Rayan 17+2reb+2ast, S.Rashad 8+10reb+2ast, I.Copeland 6+1reb, A.Hassan 2+5reb
Deba: J.Nicholas 33+9reb+7ast, J.Harris 13+14reb+2ast, A.Abdullah 10+1reb+5ast, H.Fahd 8+2reb+3ast, I.Suhail 8+14reb+2ast, A.Eyad 3+3reb

Ittihad - Al Wehda 86-85

A very close game took place in Jeddah between Ittihad and Al Wehda. Leader Ittihad (7-0) got a very close home victory over 5th ranked Al Wehda (4-3). Ittihad managed to escape with a 1-point win 86-85 on Friday evening. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Al Wehda. Strangely Al Wehda outrebounded Ittihad 54-41 including 20 on the offensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American center James Edwards Jr. (211-1997, college: Southern) fired 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. The former international Mathna Almarwani (186-1992) chipped in 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) produced a double-double by scoring 25 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists (made all of his eight free throws) and American guard Donte McGill (190-1995, college: FIU, agency: Green Sports Management) added 23 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Al Wehda's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. The victory was the seventh consecutive win for Ittihad. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Al Hilal and Al Nassr. Al Wehda at the other side keeps the fifth place with three games lost. Ittihad will meet Ohod (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Al Wehda will play against Al Ahli and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ittihad: K.Murphy 26+8reb+2ast, J.Edwards Jr. 24+5reb+8ast, M.Almarwani 21+9reb+7ast, M.AlMarwani 9+12reb+1ast, A.Yasir 4+2reb+1ast, F.Abdulrahman 2+3reb
Al Wehda: M.Samb 25+21reb+4ast, D.McGill 23+6reb+2ast, A.Ayob 9+4reb+1ast, A.Mohammed 6+1reb+6ast, M.Thamer 6+5reb+1ast, Q.Alaa 6+6reb+3ast

Al Hilal - Al Salam 108-71

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked Al Hilal as it allowed them to take a leadership position. Al Hilal smashed 10th ranked Al Salam in Riyadh 108-71. Al Hilal shot 60.9 percent from the field and made 17-of-18 free shots (94.4 percent) during the game. Al Hilal had a 29-18 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. It was a great evening for the former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 25 points, 20 rebounds and 4 assists (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field). American guard Antwan Scott (185-1992, college: Colorado St.) helped adding 18 points and 8 assists (made all of his ten free throws !!!). Four Al Hilal players scored in double figures. At the losing side American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) responded with 27 points and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Al Hilal (7-0) have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Al Nassr and Ittihad. Al Salam lost their fifth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with six games lost. Al Salam will play next round against strong Al Nassr trying to get back on the winning streak. Al Hilal will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Al Fateh in Al Hasa.
Top scorers:
Al Hilal: A.Mohammed 25+20reb+4ast, N.Alabsi 21+1ast, A.Scott 18+2reb+8ast, D.Walton 16+1reb+1ast, M.Abdulrahman 10+2ast, K.McDaniels 9+8reb+2ast
Al Salam: B.Spearman 27+3reb+3ast, W.Chism 18+11reb+4ast, A.Khalid 7+4reb+1ast, A.Bader 7+1ast, E.Fawaz 5, Y.Fallatah 4+5reb