Wide open race now in Group A as Al Ahli Jeddah cool down streaking Muharraq

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Al-Ahli Jeddah put a screeching halt to the three-game winning streak of Muharraq, 95-65, to register back-to-back victories in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Season 2, Tuesday night at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports Hall.

The home team pulled away late in the first quarter and stayed in control the rest of the way as they burst the bubble of their Bahraini counterparts, who flew into Saudi Arabia with sky-high confidence following their streak-busting win over Kuwait Club last January 8.

Al-Ahli Jeddah further boosted their chances of reaching the Gulf League Final Phase following the rout. They improved to 2-3 in the Group A standings after dragging Muharraq to 3-2, which also means that the race for the coveted top seed in the pool has become wide open.

Group A

10/12 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Kuwait Club	5	3	2	60.0		489	441	48	97.8	88.2	8
2	Muharraq Club	5	3	2	60.0		431	444	-13	86.2	88.8	8
3	Al Rayyan	5	2	3	40.0		403	431	-28	80.6	86.2	7
4	Al Ahli	5	2	3	40.0		444	451	-7	88.8	90.2	7

Game heroes: Hollis Thompson led the way once more with 29 points and 9 rebounds as the squad continued its turnaround after starting out with three straight losses.

Marzouq Almuwallad tallied 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 9 assists. Ivan Aska came through with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Ali Shubayli also produced 15 points, while veteran guard DeAndre Liggins added 13 to the victory.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Thompson deservingly earned the said honors for another impressive performance, which saw him shoot 66.7-percent from the field and collect 3 assists and 2 steals as well on the way to finishing with an efficiency of 32.

Turning point: Game was at a 12-all deadlock late in the first until Thompson kicked-started a 16-5 assault to finish the game's first 10 minutes in Al-Ahli Jeddah's favor, 28-17.

They would remain ahead the rest of the night. Their lead rose to as high as 31 points, 91-60, following an Almuwallad jumper approaching the game's final minute.

Stats don't lie: Al-Ahli Jeddah's defense forced Muharraq to commit 21 turnovers, indeed a major problem for a team that was only averaging 12.3 TOs prior. Their tenacity on D, furthermore, limited the opposition to its lowest output yet this season.

They said: "We came out here and played hard right from the jump. They came back and tried to get it, but we held our composure. We finished it out. I'm very grateful." - Hollis Thompson II, Al-Ahli Jeddah

FIBA