Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai open campaign with road win over Al Shamal

DOHA (Qatar) - Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai announced their FIBA WASL comeback by way of a dominant 96-63 conquest of Al Shamal, Tuesday night at the Al Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.

The Emirati ball club wasted no time dictating the game's pace on the way to the rout, an indication of how badly they want to improve their finish from the inaugurals that saw them clinch third place.

With the win, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai joined Manama on top of Group B of the Gulf League with identical 1-0 records. The reigning champions beat Kazma on Monday to start pool play.

Game heroes: The sweet-shooting Nick Minnerath, like he's done most of the time in Season 1, led the way with 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds.

Chavaughn Lewis made it a FIBA WASL debut for him as the seasoned pro flirted with a triple-double by finishing with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, along with 4 steals.

Mohammad Alajmani supplied 16 points, while lead big man Qais Omar Alshabebi came through with his own double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Lewis earned Step-Ahead Player of the Game honors for bringing immediate impact, as evidenced by his 37 efficiency rating.

Turning point: Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai had a slim two-point lead late in the first quarter until Minnerath sparked a 10-3 run to end the period with a 23-14 advantage. 

They would remain ahead the rest of the way although it wasn't until the third quarter where the game would become a blowout, with Lewis leading a run to push their lead to 54-39. The team would lead by as many as 41 points, as the home team couldn't find any sort of rhythm.

Stats don't lie: Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai shot an impressive 57.3 percent from the field. It's big thanks to the way they moved the ball, ending up with 25 assists. The crew exerted efforts on the defensive end, too, forcing Al Shamal to commit 17 turnovers which they converted to 22 points.

They said, "We're very happy with the victory because it's a tough group. Very strong teams like Manama and Kazma. And, of course, Shamal. It was very important to start the long road to WASL with a victory. That's why we focused on having a good game against Al Shamal." - Oualid Zrida, Head Coach, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai

"I'm pretty satisfied with the match. This is [our] first game in WASL, and we just wanted to come out with a bang; we wanted to come out and play strong and play together, and that's what we did tonight. We executed both on offense and on defense; we executed the game plan. It was a successful game, so I'm pretty satisfied." - Chavaughn Lewis, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai

"We didn't start well this season. There's been a lot of change. We didn't get the chemistry together. Of course, they are more prepared for the game than us. This is part of sports. They were the better team; they won the game. We shall bounce back." - Mizo Amin, Al Shamal

FIBA