Al Shorta get back at Al Wahda, secure first win in FIBA WASL

BAGHDAD (Iraq) - Al Shorta finally notched their first win of the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Season 2 following a dominant 79-52 victory over Al Wahda, Tuesday night.

The home team used a big second half to topple their Syrian counterparts, making sure that no repeat of their first encounter would take place on the way to breaking through the win column of Group B in the West Asia League after starting out with a pair of losses.

It could be recalled that the Iraqi crew squandered a nine-point fourth-quarter lead and lost via 74-70 decision last November 23 in Damascus. But they successfully exacted vengeance, much to the delight of the fans in attendance at the Al Shaeb Hall in the capital.

Both teams now have identical 1-2 records following the result, making Al Naft of Group A the only team that's yet to win in the sub-zone league with a 0-4 card.

Game heroes: Lamont Jones set the pace with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, together with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Mohammed Al-Khafaji produced 16 points on 53-percent field goal shooting and also collected 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block each to turn in a full line. 

Byron Wesley made 13 points while Hassan Abdullah chimed in 10 for Al Shorta, where a total of seven players contributed at least 5 points in the triumph.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Jones deservingly earned STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors for his performance, wherein he finished with a 27 efficiency (EFF).

Turning point: Al Shorta entered the second half leading by only seven, but Wesley and Co. collectively put together a scorching run towards a 51-34 lead with 5:52 left in the third.

The game would never be in question since Al Shorta went up by as many as 32 points.

They said: "That's a good win for Iraqi basketball because the Iraqi champions, Al Naft, lost their game; they suffered against Al Ahli in both games, and they crashed out. So, Al Shorta is now the only Iraqi team, and that's healthy for basketball in Iraq." - Ghassan Sarkis, Head Coach, Al Shorta

"I think we came out and played a hell of a game. We played together. Last time we were in this room, we only had one game with Coach. I think I said then that once we got into this game, we would probably be better prepared. And I think we showed that tonight." - Lamont Jones, Al Shorta

"We lost composure in the second half. We failed to execute plays properly. We had many turnovers. We conceded many fastbreak points and second chances. They outplayed us with the effort they put in on the court. Basically, we lacked the effort. We lacked the intensity. We lacked composure." Marwan Khalil, Head Coach, Al Wahda

"It was definitely, I feel, earned on their end. They played pretty hard. They came out solid. Pretty consistent the whole game. We went on runs, but they went on runs as well. I congratulate them. We knew they'd be a good team. But it was tough." Jomaru Brown, Al Wahda

4/6 games played

FIBA