Defending champions stunned as Sagesse beat Manama

DOHA (Qatar) - Sagesse SC sent shockwaves to the rest of the field following a 95-82 stunner of Manama to cap off the FIBA WASL Final 8 opener, Saturday night at the Lusail Sports Hall.

Cleanthony Early led the first-half rally before Jonathan Gibson caught fire in the fourth quarter for the strong finish as the two took turns in leading the Lebanese side in upending the defending champions, much to the delight of their faithful that watched the game live.

Game heroes: Early finished with a game-high 27 points, 20 of which he made in the first half that saw the Green Castle erupt for 33 points in the second quarter alone to erase a narrow deficit and give themselves a 49-40 lead entering the halftime intermission.

The seasoned forward shot 53.3-percent from the field and also chalked up 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block for a full line in nearly 23 minutes, tallying an efficiency (EFF) of 35 on the way to being named as the STEP AHEAD Player of the Game.

GIbson, on the other hand, overcame a a sluggish start and wound up with 26 points on a 37.7-percent shooting clip. He shot all three of his three-pointers in the final period alone to keep Manama at bay. The spitfire guard also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Marc Khoueiry made his presence felt as well with 14 points, including the dagger triple from the right corner with 1:01 left to play. Nick Rakocevic chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds as the former Serbia youth player proved solid in his FIBA WASL debut.

Turning point: Manama actually led after the first, 21-16, but Sagesse quickly figured out how to solve them. Three free throws by Gibson tied the game at 23-all and they would go on to make it one long night for the repeat-seeking crew from Bahrain.

Early gave them the lead for good behind a trey, 26-25, sparking a huge run that pushed their lead to double-digits, 43-33, approaching the last two minutes of the second canto.

Stats don't lie: Sagesse won the boards, 52-41, garnering 19 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points as they took advantage of their size upfront.

They said: "It was a great game from our side. We know it's the first game of the tournament. We played hard for the whole season to be here in the Final 8. We knew that it's important to get the win in the beginning. Full respect to Manama, they were the champions last year. That's why we knew that any time, they could come back into the game. We played hard, we fought." - Jad El Hajj, Head Coach, Sagesse SC

"I think it gives us confidence, for sure. Like I said, we came out with a great game, everybody. We gotta keep that same energy and the same focus defensively and offensively, being aggressive on both ends. I think it's a great morale booster moving forward." - Jonathan Gibson, Sagesse SC

"We definitely started the game focused on our defensive game plan. That's why we were leading. We lost our focus in the second quarter, 19-33. It was tough to come back against a team that has a lot of quality, a lot of length, and a lot of talent. And by giving away 19 offensive rebounds and 20 second chance points, you cannot win any kind of game." - Linos Gavriel, Head Coach, Manama

"Pretty much what Coach said, it's really the small details that we went over. Some key mistakes. He preached rebounding the ball and that had a lot to do with it. Plus, they were a lot more aggressive than us.... we have to have a short memory and think about the next game." - Devin Ebanks, Manama

FIBA