ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Sagesse SC hacked out a 91-88 decision against Al Difaa Al Jawi SC to chalk up win no. 1 in the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League, Friday night at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium.
Free throws by Gerard Hadidian for the eventual final count with 9.7 seconds to go and a missed three-pointer by Ali Ismael on the other end as time expired were all that the Green Castle needed to barge into the win column after suffering a narrow 88-87 defeat to Tabiat Basketbal on opening night last Monday.
Not only did they break through but the victory should also serve as a huge morale-booster heading into their highly anticipated clash with Al Riyadi on Saturday night in a rematch of last season's Final 8 title bout.
Game heroes: Hadidian top-scored for Sagesse with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, together with 9 rebounds and a pair of assists on his way to finishing with a team-high efficiency of 22.
Shabazz Muhammad supplied 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Omar Jamaleddine delivered 15 points, spiked by a trio of threes, while Zach Lofton registered a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists.
Turning point: The Lebanese side appeared to be bound for the W when it held an 89-84 lead with 23.9 seconds remaining, only for their Iraqi counterparts to threaten and cut the gap to just a solitary point.
Riding the hot hands of Ramon Galloway, who went on to finish with 35 points, Al Difaa Al Jawi got to within just 89-88 with 11.2 seconds left, making Lofton pay for the offensive foul he got called with prior.
They tried to freeze the clock by sending Hadidian to the foul line, but the veteran big man was cool, calm, and collected as he made both of his charities for what would be the final scoreline.
The crew still had one last chance to at least tie the game and extend into overtime. Sagesse, though, trapped Galloway, and although he was able to dish it to Ismael, the latter couldn't set up his three properly.
Stats don't lie: Sagesse actually lost the rebounding battle, 33-39, but more than made up for it by rotating the ball better to find the best possible shots and went on to finish with 27 assists - 11 more than their foes.
They said: "The most important thing that we have to keep from this game is that every win is important - to qualify and to give us confidence for the next games. Unfortunately we didn't play well. We played well, I would say, a part of the game. We need to correct some small things ... but anyway, we made a big effort. We won the game. We'll take this result." - Ilias Zouros, Head Coach, Sagesse SC
"It was a tough game against the Iraqis, even though we had a good lead at the beginning of the game. But most importantly we got the win. We did mistakes on defense. We shouldn't let teams come back from a 14 or 15-point [deficit]. But most importantly, we got the win. That's what we're looking for." - Gerard Hadidian, Sagesse SC
"Very tough game. Like Coach said, Sagesse is one of the better teams in Lebanon. In this tournament, the team's competing. We lost three close games just [because of] the little details. Once we clean up the little details, we'll figure it out ... I'm glad that we fought. In our last three games, we fought to the last second. That's what we're proud of. Even though we wanted to win, we're proud of the fight." - Ramon Galloway, Al Difaa Al Jawi SC
FIBA