Al-Ahli Jeddah come back from 19 down, frustrate Al Rayyan for first win

DOHA (Qatar) - Al-Ahli Jeddah finally broke through in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) following a spirited 89-84 come-from-behind victory over Al Rayyan on the road Tuesday night at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall in the Qatari capital.

DeAndre Liggins and Keith Thompson II joined hands in crunch time to help the Saudi Arabian side complete the rally from as much as 19 down and notch win no. 1 after an 0-3 start.

More importantly, though, Al-Ahli Jeddah remained in the playoff hunt by exacting vengeance against the same team that beat them on Opening Week last November 15.

Group A

8/12 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Kuwait Club	4	3	1	75.0		399	347	52	99.8	86.8	7
2	Muharraq Club	4	3	1	75.0		366	349	17	91.5	87.2	7
3	Al Rayyan	4	1	3	25.0		309	341	-32	77.2	85.2	5
4	Al Ahli	4	1	3	25.0		349	386	-37	87.2	96.5	5

Game heroes: Thompson led the way with 27 points and 4 rebounds as he returned with a bang after missing their meeting against Kuwait Club last December 11.

Marzouq Almuwallad supplied 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals. Liggins, on the other hand, flirted with a triple-double as he registered 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Ali Shubayli made 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while new recruit Ivan Aska added 12 points and 9 rebounds, even though he's only had one practice with the team thus far.

Turning point: Al-Ahli Jeddah trailed by a field goal with under four minutes left to play, but Thompson tied things up following a bucket from point-blank range.

Liggins then came with the toughest of blows that staggered their younger counterparts, nailing a pull-up triple to put them ahead for good, 81-78, with only 2:08 remaining.

Stats don't lie: Al Rayyan committed eight of their 17 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone as the young crew succumbed to the visitors' activity especially on the passing lanes.

They said: "In the locker room we talked about our defense, we have to be aggressive for each ball, we have to fight for each ball. That's what happened. We played great defense in the third and fourth quarter. We were down by 19 points, we got back, and in the end we won." - Soufiane Mouhli, Lead Assistant Coach, Al-Ahli Jeddah

"It's a tough night for us. The truth is that lately, we're losing too many games the same way. To be honest with you, we were surprisingly good for the first three quarters. But as far as I'm concerned, and from my experience, I believe that basketball is a very simple game. But at the same time it has a lot to do [mentally]." - Stergios Koufos, Head Coach, Al Rayyan

"We didn't take care of the ball when they put more pressure on us. It's a lot on the players that are on the floor to make sure that we put people in the places where they will be most successful and put the ball in the hands of people that can get the right shot and the make the right play but I think this game came down to us being rushed in crunch time, and decision making." - Andrew White III, Al Rayyan

FIBA