Strong finish inches Al Shorta closer to West Asia League Semis

BAGHDAD (Iraq) - Al Shorta finished strong to beat Al-ittihad Ahli, 89-73, to move a win away from the FIBA WASL-West Asia Season 2 Semi-Finals, Wednesday night at the Al Shaeb Hall.

Terry Smith spearheaded the breakaway in the final minutes as the Iraqi club showed that they are also capable of closing out games after nearly wasting their second-quarter reversal that saw the squad trail by a solitary point, 64-63, entering the final canto.

The team will try to wrap up the series and formalize their Semis entry in Game 2 next Wednesday, March 13, at the Al Hamadaniyeh Stadium in Aleppo, Syria.

Game heroes: Smith finished with 21 points, 10 of which he made in the deciding chapter that included half of the home team's decisive 14-2 run to finish the match.

Smith shot an efficient 56-percent from the floor and also collected 3 rebounds and 12 assists on the way to earning STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors.

Mohammed Al-Khafaji delivered a big game as well with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Delwan Graham came through with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Hassan Abdullah tossed in 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Ali Ismael had his own double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds as all starters finished in twin digits.

Turning point: Momentum began to swing Al Shorta's way when Al-Khafaji opened the fourth quarter with a shot from point-blank to put themselves ahead again.

That sparked an 8-0 run that gave them a 71-64 lead with 8:19 to go. Al-Ittihad Ahli still tried to fight and got to within four, 75-71, behind Anthouny Bakar, but that proved to be the closest they could get as Smith and Co. went on to pull off the finishing blows.

Stats don't lie: Al Shorta shot 54-percent from the floor, including 47-percent from beyond the arc. That's big thanks to the way they shared the ball, as evidenced by their 27 assists.

It's worth noting that they had 9 steals as well, 4 of which came from Ismael. They forced the opposition to commit 16 turnovers, which they turned into 22 points.

They said: "When they came back in the fourth quarter, we did not collapse. The team stayed together. And I think we did a very good job ... I'm happy with the performance. We have to build on it. Next week, we have to go to Syria. I've been there last season. Man, they have 15-17,000 in the gym. It's gonna be beautiful for our players, a good experience for everyone. I love Aleppo, I love the people in Aleppo. And, man, I'm so happy to go there again." Ghassan Sarkis, Head Coach, Al Shorta

"[We have] Good confidence. We got the momentum going over there. But like Coach said, they got a good fan base that's gonna help them out. But as long we stay together, and fight as one, I feel like we can come out with the dub." - Delwan Graham, Al Shorta

"I think if we were able to guard their pick-and-roll a bit better, we could have given ourselves a better chance. In that fourth quarter, they switched the rhythm up ... we gotta go back and regroup. I think we have the capability of beating this team. It's one game. We'll take it for what it is, and keep moving." - Avelon Luke John Jr., Al-Ittihad Ahli

FIBA