MEDINA (Saudi Arabia) - Al Ula Club secured a direct flight to the 2025-26 FIBA WASL-Gulf League Semi-Finals following a 91-79 conquest of Al Arabi SC at the Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hall, Tuesday night.
Thon Maker erased the Red Devils' lead for good just before the third ended, before Jonathan Gibson and Wael Arakji helped out in the pullaway in the ensuing frame toward clinching the no. 1 spot in Group B.
The Arabian Leopards actually share the same record with Kuwait Club at 4-2 but their 88-58 rout of the latter last week, coupled with their most recent victory, ultimately enabled the crew to finish atop the pool.
Kuwait, who ousted Sharjah SC by way of a 111-86 romp earlier in the night in Dubai, will head into the Qualification to Semi-Finals as the no. 2 team, with Arabi coming in as the third seed with a 2-4 slate.
"We are where we have to be," offered head coach Izzat Ismail.
"It's not that we thought about it, we must be in the Semi-Finals. We are the favorite team in the pool - all the respect to the other teams but we are the favorite in our group," the Lebanese mentor added.
Arakji top-scored for Al Ula with 28 points and 7 assists as he played all 40 minutes. Gibson came through with 25 points behind an excellent 7-of-12 clip from downtown, which he laced with 10 rebounds.
Mo Alsuwailem supplied 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Maker finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds along with a pair of steals as a total of three players notched double-double performances in the victory.
The towering tandem was actually responsible in putting themselves ahead for good, making good use of their size to score inside in successive fashion to turn a three-point deficit to a 60-59 lead to end the third.
Arakji and Gibson would then click from three-point distance just at the right time. The lethal backcourt duo powered a 14-4 assault toward a 74-64 lead with about six minutes remaining in the deciding chapter.
It would be all Al Ula afterward, with their lead inflating to as huge as 17 points, 91-74, after Arakji completed a three-point play off an Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem foul with less than a minute left in the match.
"Now, we are in the Semi-Finals. We deserve to be there. I'm proud of everyone, I'm proud of my players. They did their best today. We secured the win and this is the most important thing," said Ismail.
Elmedin Kikanovic, meanwhile, had 24 points to lead Al Arabi, who actually led by 10 points early in the second chapter but couldn't sustain as much, as the home team began plotting their fightback shortly after.
Mosti Rashed had 19 points and 6 rebounds. Dee Bost made 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists as Abdelhaleem added 10 points and rebounds for the Qatari side, who finished as the no. 3 team in Group B at 2-4.
FIBA