ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Arsalan Kazemi looked spent after playing with little rest in Game 1 of the FIBA WASL-West Asia Season 2 Final on Thursday night.

The Iranian star logged a total of 37 minutes and 33 seconds yet his efforts weren't enough to help Shahrdary Gorgan overcame Al Riyadi, and his situation is representative of what has been a big problem of the club that ultimately led to their first loss of the season.

"We've been trying to sign a second foreigner for, like, two to three weeks now and hopefully we will have someone by our next game, because we really need somebody," he lamented shortly after their 95-60 defeat at the Stade Nouhad Nawfal.

Gorgan have been playing with Will Cherry as their lone reinforcement since Norvel Pelle left in the middle of the season, undeniably a huge blow for a team whose success during the Group Phase (6-0) was big thanks to the naturalized Lebanese's inside presence.

That gaping hole in the frontcourt has left the coaches with no choice but to play Kazemi in extended minutes, just like what he did with ZobAhan Isfahan last season.

He'd be the first to admit that it's been tough. "I hate to play 40 minutes a game," said the 34-year-old, who finished with 4 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals in Game 1.

"I have been doing that for the last four or five games but at some point, it's just impossible to do it," added the veteran internationalist. "Hopefully, we get that second foreigner."

Not having the kind of impact Pelle had given was magnified in the worst of times, especially with the way they performed offensively in the best-of-3 title series opener.

Gorgan were averaging 94.9 points prior to the finale, but got held to easily the fewest points they've had this season. They shot just 30-percent from the floor, including a 7-of-35 clip from deep - tough for a team that shoots its threes with an accuracy of around 41-percent.

"It's worse than hard luck. We played terribly," said Kazemi. "We shot 35 three-pointers and made 20-percent. Anytime the team attempts 35 three-pointers and only makes seven, there's no way that a team can win a game. I think that was the story."

Cherry, who finished with 12 points on 19 attempts, echoed his teammate's sentiments. "Bad shooting night for us. We had not shot like that the whole year," the veteran combo guard offered. "Give them credit, though. They made shots tonight when they needed it."

"They put lots of pressure on me, made sure I got the ball out of my hand. Kudos. They had a good game plan. But like Coach said, I don't believe this team is 35 points better than us," he furthered. "Next game it will be a different story, We have to regroup."

As tough as its was, none from Gorgan are bowing their heads, with their sights set on defending their own homecourt as Game 2 will be at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran.

"We have another game to redeem ourselves," said Cherry, who's been the team's leading scorer with 19.4 points per outing. "They have to come to our home. They did what they're supposed to do, they protected their home court. Now it's our time to do the same."

"We gotta make shots. That's the biggest thing. We missed a lot of shots. We have to fix some things on defense. They let out a lot of easy shots tonight. Defensively we will be better, and offensively we have to make the shots we've been making all year," he added.

FIBA