Al Riyadi beat Petrochimi to win the WABA Champions Cup 2017
17/03/2017
Asia
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Al Riyadi rule WABA Champions Cup 2017

AMMAN (West Asia Champions Cup 2017) - Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon ruled The West Asia Basketball Association (WABA) Champions Cup for the fourth time in their history after beating defending champions Petrochimi of Iran, 83-69, in the Final in Amman, Jordan.

Alade Aminu led the way with game-high 24 points as well as 11 rebounds for Al Riyadi. Ali Haidar also posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Al Riyadi's triumph in Jordan gave Lebanon their ninth overall WABA Champions Cup title, putting them ahead in their head-to-head race with rivals Iran, which have eight WABA Champions Cup crowns.

This victory completed for Al Riyadi a dominant 5-game sweep of the competition. They've had already beaten Petrochimi on Day 1 of the tournament before notching wins over another Iranian club, Naft Abadan, and Sareyyet Ramallah for Palestine in the group stage. They once again defeated Naft Abadan, 74-64, in the Semi-Finals before the clash with Petrochimi in the Final.

This result propels Al Riyadi to the the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 later this year. Joining them are Petrochimi and first-time participants Sareyyet Ramallah of Palestine, which qualified by virtue of their win over Iraq's Al Mina.


FIBA