Kazma roll past Al Shamal for first win

DOHA (Qatar) - Kazma made quick work of Al Shamal, 101-75, to barge into the win column of FIBA WASL Season 2, Tuesday night at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.

The visiting side broke the game wide open in the second quarter on their way to finally breaking through after beginning their campaign with a pair of narrow losses.

Game heroes: Travis Leslie top-scored for the Kuwaiti ball club with 25 points on 55.5 percent shooting from the field, along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 24 minutes.

Veteran big man Clint Chapman came through with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, together with a pair of assists plus a steal and a block each.

Matic Rebec supplied a full line as well with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Ahmad Albaloushi and Abdulaziz Alhamidi added 13 and 11 points, respectively, as all but two of the 11 players fielded scored at least 2 points in the 26-point romp.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Chapman deservingly earned STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors for playing a key role in his side's early breakaway.

Turning point: Kazma built a 25-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but it wasn't until the ensuing frame that the game became a one-sided affair. Chapman and Co. put together a fiery assault to turn an eight-point lead to 45-23 with under six minutes to go.

The team scored 30 points in the second period alone while limiting their foes to only 18 to head into the halftime intermission holding a commanding 55-33 advantage.

Stats don't lie: Kazma did it on both ends of the floor to chalk up the victory. They shot 48 percent from the field, including 12 triples. They forced the home team to 11 turnovers, which they turned into 17 points, thanks to a defensive effort that saw them rack up 10 steals and 5 blocks.

They said: "You gotta give credit to the host. They came out and played a tough game, but we were the better team tonight. We just wanted to play team basketball, play our defense, get to our spots, and I think we did a good job continuously for 40 minutes playing good team basketball." Clint Chapman, Kazma

"I don't think any competitor enjoys losing. But we're professionals. And these are the things you have to deal with during a season. How can you bounce back? How can you respond to a loss? It's tough to come into these games, as Coach mentioned, shorthanded. But like he said, We're going to continue to fight; we're going to go back to the drawing board, figure out ways where we can put ourselves in a better position to win, and keep fighting till the end." - UC Iroegbu, Al Shamal

FIBA