BAWSHAR (Oman) - Al Ahli Club ran past Al Bashaer, 90-52, to finally barge into the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-Gulf League win column on Tuesday night.
The Bahraini side made the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex as if it was their own, taking the lead early before breaking away wide in the second quarter en route to earning win no. 1 after opening the season with back-to-back defeats.
Game heroes: Elijah Thomas powered the squad with 34 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the field and 7 rebounds, netting an efficiency of 39 in a strong debut.
DeWayne Jackson came through with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, which he laced with 5 assists, 4 steals, and a block for an all-around effort.
Jordan Stevens chipped in 13 points on a 5-of-7 clip as all but two players of Coach Jad El Hajj contributed at least two points in the dominant victory.
Turning point: The aforementioned trio were key in their second-quarter breakaway. When the home team knocked to within a point, 22-21, Stevens quickly responded to the make of counterpart Shakur Smith with a bucket of his own.
Thomas and Jackson joined in afterward, sparking a blistering 20-4 run toward a 42-25 advantage with less than 90 seconds remaining before the break.
Stats don't lie: Al Ahli shot an impressive 55-percent from the floor on the way to dealing Al Bashaer their ninth straight loss in this league, dating back to Season 1.
They said: "We knew it's a very important game for us. We're playing against Al Bashaer, and we had the same results in our previous two games. We know that if we get the win, we have big chances to qualify for the next round. We go step by step." - Jad El Hajj, Head Coach, Al Ahli Club
"Coach Jad has done an amazing job of being resilient in his approach, on being staying patient not only with me but the progress of the team. And I think tonight was a testament of how good we can potentially be down the road not only just in WASL but in the Bahraini league as well." - Elijah Thomas, Forward, Al Ahli Club
"We just gotta put together 40 minutes. Play 20 minutes good, and we gotta be stronger in the last 20 minutes. We'll keep working." - Shakir Smith, Al Bashaer
FIBA