ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Zach Lofton delivered another monster performance as Sagesse SC beat Amman United Club, 88-76, on Thursday night in the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League, locking up their spot at the WASL Final 8.
Fresh off a 40-point outing against Al Riyadi, the star guard followed it up with 34 points on a scorching 13-of-18 shooting clip, including 7-of-10 from deep, while also tallying 10 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Green Castle to their third win in six games.
Sagesse pulled ahead early and never looked back. Omar Jamaleddine helped ignite the charge with 8 points in the first quarter, while a hustle sequence in the second - featuring a full-court pass from Lofton to Aziz Abdel Massih that led to free throws - gave the Lebanese side their first double-digit lead.
Jamaleddine added a spark again to open the second half, drilling a three and flashing a grin as he reached double digits. He’d finish with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists - matching his season-high.
Lofton, meanwhile, caught fire in the third. He knocked down his third triple midway through the frame, celebrated with visible intensity, and closed the period with 28 points as Sagesse carried a 12-point cushion into the final quarter.
"They played with very big heart. They played as a team," said coach Ilias Zouros of his team. "They played excellent, I would say. Excellent.
"The number which I liked most was the 21 assists, because I love the team to share the ball, to move the ball. And today, many players, they shared the ball. This is what I liked. Very big effort. We qualified, this is our main goal."
Amman United battled behind the frontcourt duo of Jonathan Arledge and Vladyslav Koreniuk, who each posted big scoring games - Arledge with 20 points and 11 boards, and Koreniuk with 21 and 9 - but couldn't cut the deficit to single digits in the final period.
The Jordanian side managed just a handful of makes from long range, with Lofton alone outshooting them from beyond the arc. Sagesse finished with 14 triples in the game.
"We played great defense, played as a team," said Lofton. "We did it tonight. Just have to keep finding our identity and playing defense."
The result lifts Sagesse to 3-3, tied with Tabiat, as both teams join Al Riyadi in the WASL Final 8 line up.
Amman United (2-5) end their first FIBA WASL season looking from the outside in of the next stage. Still, they showed plenty of potential moving forward.
"We've played with big heart," said Amman United head coach Abdallah Abuqoura of this WASL season.
"It was a great experience for us all," add Arledge. "It was our first time this club being together, playing this level. Get this experience, that’s all that matters. Next year, we reload and come back ready to compete at a higher level."
FIBA