MANAMA (Bahrain) - Kuwait Club leaned on Augustine Rubit to turn back an upset-hungry Al Ahli Club, 77-63, and remain unbeaten after four outings in the 2024/2025 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL), Monday night at the BBA Arena.
The 35-year-old big man finished with a season-high 28 points and 9 rebounds as he was the stabilizing presence that the reigning, two-time Gulf League champions needed to complete the rally from a deficit as deep as 13 points.
Rubit scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, including eight in a row to give his side the 69-61 lead with 2:15 to go that took the fight out of the home team.
He then struck the dagger through a triple from the left wing to make it a 73-61 spread with 42.4 seconds left, all but sealing the triumph for the perennial contenders as they went on to maintain their position atop Group A of the Sub-Zone League.
Together, Kuwait Club overcame a tough stand by an embattled Al Ahli side, who's still reeling from the shocking resignation of Jad El Hajj as head coach.
Game heroes: Briante Weber was as crucial in the triumph as the seasoned guard finished with a rare triple-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in 34 minutes, adding a pair of steals as well to finish with an efficiency of 34.
Hamad Hasan chipped in 13 points, spiked by three triples, and 5 assists as they stepped up on a night JaKarr Sampson got held to only 4 points.
Turning point: Kuwait Club seemed out of sync in the first three quarters that they entered the game's last 12 minutes staring at a decade's worth of a deficit.
But being the champions that they are, the wards of Coach Peter Schomers flipped the switch all of a sudden, with Weber triggering a 13-0 run - concluded by a Hasan split from the line - to put themselves ahead, 59-56, with 6:04 on the clock.
Al Ahli did manage to tie the game up at 61-all behind Jordan Stevens, but there was no stopping Kuwait Club anymore as Rubit took over from there. With him showing the way, the perennial contenders finished the game with a 16-2 spree.
Stats don't lie: Kuwait Club have started 4-0 for the first time since the 2022/2023 inaugurals, where they went on to sweep the entire Gulf League to claim the Sub-Zone League title. They're currently on track to finish this Group Phase unbeaten.
The crew has two games left in the said stage - a meeting against Al Bashaer in Oman on January 13 and then versus Shabab Al Ahli at home a week later.
They said: "We don't think about 4-0 ... but if you can win every game in the group then you have the chance to finish first and have homecourt advantage at the end. In the other group, as far as I know, every team has lost one game. But it's not only about homecourt advantage. We hold ourselves accountable to win every game and I think we should, because we have the best team." - Peter Schomers, Head Coach, Kuwait Club
"It feels great. We're putting in a lot of work. Just overall as a team, just fighting through adversity, that's the best feeling. Because when we get down the road, when it's time to fight for a championship, and you go through all the hardest tests, that's when you know you're ready for that moment. I'm happy that the hard work is showing and we're also fighting through adversity." - Augustine Rubit, Kuwait Club
"Our team is based with a lot of veterans, people that have been in different situations. Honestly, it was a shock to the whole club to hear the news, but I think we all handled it well. We all stayed positive and we just kept our focus on the task at hand, which was playing Kuwait and trying to get the win." - Jordan Stevens, Al Ahli Club
FIBA