ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Hayk Gyokchyan and Amir Saoud formed a solid 1-2 punch down the stretch to steer Al Riyadi back to the FIBA WASL Final following a 97-85 victory over Shabab Al Ahli, Saturday night.
The sweet-shooting big man finished with 17 points, while the lefty guard delivered 10 as they put together the decisive 10-0 run to put their foes down and eventually snare the first ticket to the Big Dance.
It was Saoud who ignited the rally, completing a three-point play with 5:42 to go as a response to a point-blank bucket by Qais Alshabebi that pulled the WASL-Gulf League titlists to within eight, 79-71.
Gyokchyan them came through with a three-pointer from the corner mere seconds later, much of course to the delight of their ever supportive fans that once again trooped to the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
The two of them then took turns in closing the aforementioned run to push their to 89-71 with 4:06 to go, a cushion that proved to be more than enough for the home team to come away with the W.
Al Riyadi will now await the winner between Tabiat Basketball and Sagesse SC in the other Semi-Finals pairing, to be played alter tonight, for their opponent in the championship bout set tomorrow night.
"To be honest, it doesn't matter to us," said head coach Ahmad Farran when asked if he has any preference between the two. "Because if we want to win, we need to win whoever we face in our way."
Marcus Georges-Hunt top-scored for the Lebanese powerhouse with 23 points, 12 of which he produced in the opening period alone as he bannered their good start that saw the crew race to an 18-8 lead.
The wide-bodied winger shot 10-of-13 from the field, including a 2-of-3 clip from three, and also had 5 rebounds as he proved to be a thorn on the side of his former team, whom he reinforced in the BCL Asia last year.
"It was cool, you know. I'm on the other side," said Georges-Hunt. "But once we step inside those lines, there's no friends. It's just about competing at that point. They're a pretty good team; they made it to the Semi-Finals."
"So, that was just a team in our way. And we took care of business," he added.
Wael Arakji came through with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. Marin Maric supplied 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Thon Maker notched a solid double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds, with 4 assists and 2 blocks.
"Tomorrow I believe we can be fresher, and we can be more focused. And why not win the title," Farran said.
Put to naught by the loss, on the other hand, was the 32-point effort of Deshawndre Washington in leading Shabab Al Ahli as the athletic forward tried to strap the team on his back, but could only do so much.
Alshabebi and Jamelle Hagins backed him up with 15 and 12 points, respectively, as Chris Crawford got held to only 9 points - that, after dropping 25 in their win over Tabiat last Thursday to reach the Semi-Finals.
The ball club from Dubai will try to salvage a podium finish as they're set to play in the Third-Place Game. set prior to the title bout, against the losing team between Tabiat and Sagesse.
FIBA
