SBL Round 5: Al Ahly lose to Al Ittihad

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most shocking disappointment of round 5 was a defeat of league's leader Al Ahly (1-1). They were edged by fifth ranked Al Ittihad (3-2) 75-73 on Monday night. Strangely Al Ahly outrebounded Al Ittihad 50-27 including a 17-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. American DaJuan Summers (203-88, college: Georgetown, agency: BIG) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds for the winners and Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) chipped in 28 points and 4 assists. American forward Steve Taylor Jr. (206-93, college: Toledo) responded with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 22 rebounds and 5 assists. Al Ahly's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Al Ittihad moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Al Ansar. Al Ahly at the other side dropped to the eighth position with one game lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Al Hilal. Al Ahly will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest and make it back to the top of the standings. Al Ittihad will try to continue on its current victory against tenth ranked Al Nahda in Al Khobar.
Undefeated Ohod (4-1) recorded its first loss in Riyadh. Visitors were edged by leader Al Nasr (5-0) 66-63. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Ohod. South Sudanese power forward Makol Mawien (206-96, college: Kansas St., agency: BIG) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winning side and Khalid Abdel-Gabar accounted for 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international forward Nassir Abojalas (196-94) came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds for Ohod in the defeat. Undefeated Al Nasr have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains second place with 5-0 record having five points less than leader Al Hilal. Ohod at the other side keeps the third position with one game lost. Al Nasr's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Riyadh to the arena Al Hilal.
SBL top team - Al Hilal (7-1) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Al Fateh (1-3) in Riyadh 97-63. The best player for the winners was Antwan Scott who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Mohamed Harat produced a double-double by scoring 24 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists for the guests. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the seventh consecutive win for Al Hilal. They maintain first place with 7-1 record. Loser Al Fateh dropped to the ninth position with three games lost. They share it with Al Nahda. Al Hilal's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Riyadh Al Nasr.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 5: Al Wehda destroyed Abha on the opponent's court 83-48. Al Salam managed to outperform Al Nahda in a home game 56-53. Winless Duba Club recorded a loss to Al Ansar on the road 94-76.

Abha - Al Wehda 48-83

The game between closely ranked teams ended with bottom-ranked Abha's (0-5) home loss to tenth ranked Al Wehda (2-3) 48-83 on Monday. Al Wehda dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Abha's 22. Al Wehda forced 20 Abha turnovers. The best player for the winners was the former international center Mohammed AlMarwani (206-89) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and 12 rebounds. Forward Abdulrahman Fallata chipped in 22 points. Four Al Wehda players scored in double figures. American forward Tavares Sledge (203-92, college: USC Aiken, agency: PBAplayers Agency) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds and guard Mohaned Shabin added 10 points respectively for the hosts. Al Wehda moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Salam. Abha lost their fifth game in a row. Newly promoted team still closes the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Duba Club. Al Wehda will meet at home Al Salam (#6) in the next round. Abha will play against Al Fateh (#9) in Al Hasa and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Wehda: F.Abdulrahman 22+2reb+3ast, M.Thamer 18+3reb+1ast, M.AlMarwani 18+12reb+2ast, R.Gunday 11+4reb+4ast, A.Mohammed 7+3ast, B.Husam 5+2reb+3ast
Abha: T.Sledge 22+10reb+1ast, H.Aiouz 10+5reb+1ast, S.Mohaned 10+3reb+3ast, A.Sami 4+3reb+1ast, A.Rayan 2+2ast, A.Mohannad 0

Al Nasr - Ohod 66-63

Undefeated Ohod (4-1) recorded its first loss in Riyadh. Visitors were edged by leader Al Nasr (5-0) 66-63. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Ohod. Al Nasr brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. South Sudanese power forward Makol Mawien (206-96, college: Kansas St., agency: BIG) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winning side and the former international guard Khalid Abdel-Gabar (188-90, college: Windsor) accounted for 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. The former international forward Nassir Abojalas (196-94) came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds and Moroccan-Belgian center Khalid Boukichou (208-92) added 17 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Ohod in the defeat. Four Ohod players scored in double figures. Al Nasr have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains second place with 5-0 record having five points less than leader Al Hilal. Ohod at the other side keeps the third position with one game lost. Al Nasr's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Riyadh to the arena Al Hilal.
Top scorers:
Al Nasr: M.Mawien 25+16reb, K.Abdel-Gabar 18+11reb+6ast, T.Almuhanna 11+3reb+5ast, J.Al Kabe 5+5reb+6ast, K.Musab 5+3reb+1ast, A.Ayoub 2+4reb
Ohod: N.Abojalas 20+11reb+3ast, K.Boukichou 17+8reb+3ast, A.Almukhtar 13+5reb, S.Rector 11+9reb+4ast, A.Hassan 2+3reb, A.Abdulaziz 0

Al Salam - Al Nahda 56-53

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams in Al-Awamiyah where ninth ranked Al Salam (2-3) edged 8th ranked Al Nahda (1-3) 56-53 on Monday. Al Salam forced 22 Al Nahda turnovers. The best player for the winners was American forward Nick Stover (198-93, college: USA) who had a double-double by scoring 29 points and 12 rebounds. Jordanian Khaled Abuaboud (202-97) chipped in 0 points and 18 rebounds. Stover is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American center Malik Wineglass (203-93, college: Harris-Stowe St.) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 21 rebounds and Saad Alsubaie added 12 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the guests. Al Salam moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Al Wehda. Al Nahda lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the ninth position with three games lost. They share it with Al Fateh. Al Salam will meet Al Wehda (#7) in the next round. Al Nahda will play against Al Ittihad and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: N.Stover 29+12reb+2ast, S.Rashad 9+3reb+2ast, H.Alnamer 6+2reb+1ast, A.Bader 6+1reb, I.Mohammed 3+1reb+1ast, N.Sajjad Al 2
Al Nahda: M.Wineglass 22+21reb, A.Saad 12+8reb+2ast, A.Turki 6+6reb+2ast, K.Abdulrahman 6+7reb, F.Fahad 4+2reb+3ast, B.Abdulmajeed 2+4reb+2ast

Al Ansar - Duba Club 94-76

Not a big story in a game in Medina where bottom-ranked Duba Club (0-5) was defeated by fourth ranked Al Ansar (3-2) 94-76 on Monday. Al Ansar outrebounded Duba Club 47-30 including 16 on the offensive glass. The best player for the winners was American-Armenian center Todd OBrien (211-89, college: UAB) who had a double-double by scoring 39 points (!!!), 17 rebounds and 4 assists. Libyan point guard Mohameed Elsadi (190-95) chipped in a double-double by scoring 32 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Al Ansar's coach Issam Abdel Hamid used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Canadian Otas Iyekekpolor (203-96, college: Fort Lewis) produced a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds and Abdulmajeed Alshanqiti added 11 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the guests. Al Ansar maintains fourth place with 3-2 record, which they share with Al Ittihad. Duba Club lost their fifth game in a row. Newly promoted team still closes the standings with five games lost. They share the position with Abha. Al Ansar's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Medina to the arena Ohod.
Top scorers:
Al Ansar: T.O'Brien 39+17reb+4ast, M.Elsadi 32+12reb+5ast, H.Hammam 6+2reb, F.Mostafa 5+2reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 3+6reb+2ast, H.Hesham 3
Duba Club: O.Iyekekpolor 26+15reb+2ast, W.Jlilaty 14+2reb, A.Abdulmajeed 11+5reb+1ast, A.Abdullah 8+1reb+1ast, A.Omar 6+1reb+1ast, F.Hussain 5+2reb+2ast

Al Hilal - Al Fateh 97-63

SBL top team - Al Hilal (7-1) had no problems winning another game on Monday. This time they crushed seventh ranked Al Fateh (1-3) in Riyadh 97-63. Al Hilal had a 32-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American guard Antwan Scott (185-92, college: Colorado St., agency: Duran International) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. International center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-98) chipped in a double-double by scoring 24 points and 16 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). Four Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Algerian forward Mohamed Harat (198-90) produced a double-double by scoring 24 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists and Nigerian-American guard Michael Efevberha (195-84, college: CSUN) added 13 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the seventh consecutive win for Al Hilal. They maintain first place with 7-1 record. Loser Al Fateh dropped to the ninth position with three games lost. They share it with Al Nahda. Al Hilal's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Riyadh Al Nasr.
Top scorers:
Al Hilal: A.Scott 25+6reb+11ast, A.Mohammed 24+16reb, N.Alabsi 20+6reb+2ast, H.Abbas 19+5reb, O.Albargawi 4+2reb+5ast, A.Adel 3+1reb
Al Fateh: M.Harat 24+17reb+5ast, M.Efevberha 13+7reb+3ast, A.Abdullah 11+2reb+1ast, A.Altamar 5+1reb, A.Khodeir Ali 4+1reb, A.Al Marzouq 2+1reb+2ast

Al Ittihad - Al Ahly 75-73

The most shocking disappointment of round 5 was a defeat of league's leader Al Ahly (1-1). They were edged by fifth ranked Al Ittihad (3-2) 75-73 on Monday night. Strangely Al Ahly outrebounded Al Ittihad 50-27 including a 17-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. American DaJuan Summers (203-88, college: Georgetown, agency: BIG) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds for the winners and Tunisian point guard Omar Abada (189-93) chipped in 28 points and 4 assists. American forward Steve Taylor Jr. (206-93, college: Toledo) responded with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 22 rebounds and 5 assists and Canadian-Jordanian guard Fadi Ibrahim (190-96, college: Tampa) scored 24 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Al Ahly's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Al Ittihad moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Al Ansar. Al Ahly at the other side dropped to the eighth position with one game lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Al Hilal. Al Ahly will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest and make it back to the top of the standings. Al Ittihad will try to continue on its current victory against tenth ranked Al Nahda in Al Khobar.
Top scorers:
Al Ittihad: O.Abada 28+1reb+4ast, D.Summers 27+13reb+1ast, M.Almarwani 8+7reb+6ast, A.AlMadani 7, A.Yasir 5+3reb+1ast, A.Abdulmalek 0+1reb+2ast
Al Ahly: F.Ibrahim 24+5reb+6ast, S.Taylor Jr. 19+22reb+5ast, A.Shubayli 17+8reb+2ast, Q.Mohammed 4+4reb, N.Althalabi 3+4reb, A.Abdulrahman 3+1reb



Tags : DAJUAN SUMMERS, AL ITTIHAD JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIAN BASKETBALL