ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi completed a sweep of the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League's First Round following a 102-93 victory over Al Difaa Al Jawi SC at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium, Sunday night.
Coming in with sky-high morale from that massive win against Sagesse SC in the Beirut Derby about 24 hours ago, the Yellow Castle pulled off a third-quarter reversal before leaning on experience in the endgame to nab their fourth win in as many outings - and finish the window as the only unbeaten ball club.
The Sub-Zone League's three-peat seekers have placed themselves on top of the standings for now, sitting above Tabiat (3-1), their long-time arch-rivals (2-2), Amman United Club (1-3), and the team they just beat (0-4).
Definitely, the defending WASL champions would want to continue their winning ways come the Second Round set April 8-13 still in the Lebanese capital, where another sweep will lead to a successful title defense.
STANDINGS (as of 10 March 2025):
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | AGT | +/- | FA | AA | PTS |
1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100.0 |
| 406 | 340 | 66 | 101.5 | 85.0 | 8 | |
2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75.0 |
| 359 | 349 | 10 | 89.8 | 87.3 | 7 | |
3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 |
| 331 | 351 | -20 | 82.8 | 87.8 | 6 | |
4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 |
| 337 | 368 | -31 | 84.3 | 92.0 | 5 | |
5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| 356 | 381 | -25 | 89.0 | 95.3 | 4 |
Game heroes: Hayk Gyokchyan led Al Riyadi with 25 points, spiked by four three-pointers, alongside 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal without a turnover in 32 minutes of play, eventually netting an efficiency of 29.
George King backed him up with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 5 assists. Wael Arakji supplied 13 points and 6 assists, while Amir Saoud delivered 11 points in his second game back from a calf injury.
Big man Ily Diop chipped in 10 points and 5 rebounds as a total of 5 players finished in double figures in the triumph, big thanks once again to the way they shared the ball as evidenced by their 25 assists.
Turning point: It was by no means easy for Al Riyadi in beating their Iraqi counterparts, though. The team had already appeared to be cruising to the win when veteran center Ismail Ahmad spearheaded a 14-2 scoring spree abridging the third and fourth quarters toward an 84-74 lead about a minute into the deciding period.
But, they almost squandered that lead when Darius Johnson-Odom strapped Al Difaa Al Jawi on his broad shoulders and powered a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to only a point, 84-83, with 7:18 to go.
Fortunately for them, Gyokchyan was there to end the dry spell with a trey. The others would contribute afterward, with King, Saoud, and Arakji helping widen the gap to 10 anew, 94-84, with 5:01 remaining to restore order.
Stats don't lie: Al Riyadi shot exceptionally well as they converted 59.0-percent of their shots from the field, easily the highest shooting percentage they've recorded this season. They also went 13-of-30 from deep.
They said: "It's very important (sweep) ... it wasn't easy at all to play a big tournament against very good teams - champions from each country. The team showed great character and maturity on the court. We played as team like always and we managed to complete our games with a winning streak and we are looking forward to the next round to guarantee and go to the Final 8 without any obstacle." - Ahmad Farran, Head Coach, Al Riyadi
"I think it's gonna be tougher on us. Because we're setting the tone and the bar so high, so the teams are gonna be well-prepared. But also us, we're gonna be extremely prepared. We live and thrive for these moments, and we're just happy to play good basketball. I always say let's enjoy the game and play great basketball, and that's what we're doing. We're gonna be ready for everything." - Amir Saoud, Al Riyadi
"We lost two games with a nine-point difference and a game with three points. Hopefully the chemistry between the foreign players and the local players will be better. We will perform better [in Round 2] as we want to reach third place. We can compete for this." - Nidhal Ghanim Salman, Head Coach, Al Difaa Al Jawi SC
"I always like our fight. It's about our fight with our team, especially with our local guys. Our local guys are doing a great job just fighting. They may not be the best skilled, or the most talented, but they fight. All of them. And I respect them for that. Once we get the little things prepared, I think we can really win some games in WASL. But we never lack in fight. The guys, they fight." - Darius Johnson-Odom, Al Difaa Al Jawi SC
FIBA