Al Riyadi secure homecourt edge with beatdown of Al Shorta

ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi have already accomplished their goal of reaching the FIBA WASL-West Asia Season 2 Semi-Finals, but that did not stop the crew from putting on a masterful performance against Al Shorta at home on Thursday night.

The reigning Sub-Zone League champions dealt the visiting side from Iraq a sound 120-90 beating before their ever-supportive fans at the Stade Nouhad Nawfal.

Not only did they sweep Group B (4-0) but the victory enabled the Lebanese powerhouse to secure the home court edge all the way to the Finals - should they make it - for earning more than enough points against the Group A's no. 1 seed in Shahrdary Gorgan (5-0).

Group B

6/6 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Al Riyadi	4	4	0	100		410	293	117	102.5	73.2	8
2	Al Shorta SC	4	1	3	25.0		322	361	-39	80.5	90.2	5
3	Al Wahda SC	4	1	3	25.0		246	324	-78	61.5	81	5
4	B4	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0

Game heroes: A total of six players finished in double figures for Al Riyadi, with Elmedin Kikanovic leading the way with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for an efficiency of 31.

Sani Sakakini and Mohammad Bilal Tabbara produced 18 points apiece. Amir Saoud suplied 15 points while Manny Harris chipped in 13, including 11 in the first quarter alone as he captained his side's surge towards a 27-15 lead to take control of the game for good.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Hayk Gyokchyan earned STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors as he finished with a season-high 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.

Turning point: Al Riyadi did take the upper hand early but it wasn't until the second period when the game broke wide open. From an eight-point edge, Gyokchyan heated up from deep and powered an 11-2 rally to give themselves a commanding 55-38 lead at the break.

Stats don't lie: Al Riyadi scored the second-most points by a team in the West Asia League, just a point away from tying the record set by Gorgan against Al-Ittihad Ahli early in the Group Phase. That's big thanks to their 30 assists and the 47 points provided by the bench.

They said: "First of all, I'm glad we achieved our goal to finish first in our group and secure the homecourt advantage. This is very important. The target was from the beginning to clinch the first spot. It was an entertaining game for the fans ... it was a good game for the fans but not so much for us as a team. We received 90 points but it's normal, sometimes when the lead is so big we lose focus. But 30 assists and nine steals is a great job. Big contribution from our bench with 47 points. Big credit to my players. Now we are in a great position, first in our group and first in the league. We go for the break now knowing that we need to come back stronger." - Ahmad Farran, Head Coach, Al Riyadi

"The numbers look good offensively but of course, when we get a big lead we get a little bit relaxed, which is not our goal. But maybe it is understandable. But yeah, we wanted to finish this group stage strongly, and I think we did it. All the players gave great contributions, and I think we were there from the first moment with energy, with focus as we wanted. In the end I think it's a great win for us." - Elmedin Kikanovic, Al Riyadi

"I believe that we played against the best team in the continent. Riyadi, for me, are the best team in Asia. They have gained momentum and they played excellent basketball on both sides of the floor. They defended well, they passed the ball, they moved off the ball. They have all that it takes for them to be at the top. Unfortunately for us, when our team was gaining momentum, our last game was on January 17 against Al Wahda. Since then we had a break until last week, we had few practices without the national team players. We lost the game momentum, we lost the practice momentum ... it's gonna take us a couple more games to get back in shape. But definitely we learned a lesson. Riyadi were outstanding." - Ghassan Sarkis, Head Coach, Al Shorta

"As Coach said, we had a lot of time off. But Riyadi is a hell of a team. They've been together for some years and I think every time they go in a flow, they show that. I think they play really well together. We're just trying to regain our momentum that we had about a month ago. I'm sure we'll get there. But hats off to Riyadi. They played a great game and they got the win." - Lamont Jones, Al Shorta

FIBA