Griffin proud to see Al Rayyan apply lessons in upset of Kuwait Club

DOHA (Qatar) - Nick Griffin felt proud of the resilience Al Rayyan showed in scoring a stunning upset of Kuwait Club in their FIBA WASL Season 2 rematch on Monday night.

The Qatari side withstood the reigning Gulf League champions' late-game comeback bid and took the 94-90 win, marking the end of a three-game slide while dealing the opposition its second loss in a row - that, after going undefeated for 13 games in the sub-zone.

"Today we showed resilience, that we can really compete in this league," he offered during the postgame presser at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.

Al Rayyan needed timely triples from Mohamed Abdelaziz and Andrew White III inside the game's final 2:45 to make sure that they won't melt down and lose a 21-point lead.

For Griffin, the poise they showed in the endgame was huge thanks to the experience - no matter how bitter it was - they gained from Al Ahli Jeddah the last time out.

It could be recalled that the team of Coach Stergios Koufus appeared to be on the way of snapping out of a two-game funk when it led by as much as 19 points, only for their Saudi Arabian counterparts to fight back and eventually complete the turnaround.

Keith Thompson II and DeAndre Liggins starred for Al Ahli then, with the latter nailing the hardest of blows when he nailed the go-ahead trey approaching the last two minutes.

But Monday saw them prevent any of that from happening, with White III drilling a tough triple off the glass to push their lead to 91-84 - and strike the dagger - with 33.0 seconds left.

Thanks to their improved character, Al Rayyan have improved to 2-3 in the Group A standings, now hoping that the odds would be in their favor as they bid for a spot in the next round.

"It definitely was a lesson," said Griffin, who had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in their previous game. "It was a tough loss, being up 15-plus points and losing all that in one quarter basically. But day-by-day, we've been working very hard to come back from that loss. "

Well, they did reap the benefits of their efforts with the Kuwait Club stunner, and the American reinforcement himself played a major role in their most important win to date.

Griffin finished with 21 points spiked by five three-pointers, four of which he made in successive fashion during the second quarter to power his team's 29-point explosion.

"I just thank my teammates. They trust me to make plays," he said. "They're great guys to work with. They believe in me and I believe in them, so the chemistry is easy and they just let me play my game and I just try to help my team win the best that I could."

FIBA