ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) – Tabiat Basketball survived a furious late-game rally to outlast Al Difaa Al Jawi, 87-83, in a dramatic West Asia Super League (WASL) battle on Friday night at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium.
Down by as many as nine in the first half, the Iranian side shook off a sluggish start and leaned on the one-two punch of Ivan Buva and Perry Petty, alongside a timely defensive stand from Rasoul Mozafari, to clinch their fourth win of the season and remain firmly in the hunt for a spot in the WASL Final 8.
Buva dominated the paint en route to a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and anchoring a pivotal third-quarter surge where he dropped 15 points to turn a 41-40 halftime deficit into a commanding 70-55 lead.
Petty added 19 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals, including two clutch free throws with 5 seconds left to seal the deal after Al Difaa tied the game late.
But it was Mozafari’s timely defense that saved the night. With Tabiat clinging to an 85-83 lead, the veteran guard stripped Ramon Galloway in the final seconds to prevent a potential game-tying shot.
"We opened kinda slow," Buva admited. "We struggled in the first 10 minutes, we tried catching up. Then in third quarter, we made the biggest lead but we were not able to keep it. They came back with some transition threes and the game was a [one possesion game] again.
"Luckily, we made better decisions in the end."
Al Difaa, coming off their first win of the season, showed renewed fight. Abbas Alqarnawi sparked a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter with five straight points, helping trim a 15-point deficit to just two. Ihab Al-Zuhairi then tied the game at 83-all with a hook shot over Buva with 36 seconds to go, but it would be the last time the Iraqi side scored.
Galloway led Al Difaa with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but also committed 6 of the team’s 18 turnovers. Jordan Hamilton had a strong showing with 15 points, 13 boards, and 4 assists, while Ali Ismael added 17 points.
Tabiat forced 18 turnovers and scored 26 points off those errors, finishing with 14 steals - another key stat in a game where every possession mattered.
"I think we had a really good chance of winning the game," said Galloway in the post-game press conference. "The first quarter and second quarter, we started off really well. We won the half and then came out a little sluggish first five minutes of the third quarter and they made a little run. But overall, we kind of got out of our offense, we were just running freely. That’s what hurt us."
The win lifts Tabiat to 4-2, keeping them in strong contention for a top-three finish. Al Difaa drop to 1-6 despite another gritty performance that showed their underdog spirit remains very much alive.
FIBA