JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Erick Neal netted his first FIBA WASL triple-double to power Ittihad Club to a 91-87 come-from-behind win over Muharraq in the 2025-26 Gulf League, Monday at the Green Basketball Court.
The do-it-all floor general finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists plus 5 steals as he starred in the defending Saudi Basketball League champions' fourth-quarter reversal after trailing by as many as 14.
He first completed the statistical feat by collaring his own missed three with 4:23 remaining, and then came through with the biggest of shots in the closing moments to help his side eventually complete the rally.
Neal knocked down a tough floater to break the 85-all deadlock approaching the final minute to put themselves ahead for good, before Jarell Eddie scored from underneath to widen the gap to 89-85 with 34.1 seconds to go.
The visitors cut the gap to a field goal behind Nick West's perfect trip to the line but Neal himself would shut the door close shortly after, going 2-for-2 as well from the stripe with 12.5 ticks left to settle the final count.
The league's assist king scored 17 of his points in the final period alone to lead the Tigers in finishing with a 5-1 record in Group A entering the Semi-Finals by taking down the only team that beat them in the Group Phase.
"I'm happy and all the congratulations to my players that we finished first in this group because last year, we finished third. This is a big improvement, and a big thing for the club," said head coach Slobodan Subotic.
Elijah Thomas came up big once more with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Eddie chipped in 14 points behind a quartet of triples for an Ittihad team that's truly turned things around from their previous run last season.
Now, they await their opponents by monitoring the Qualification to Semi-Finals, which begins on February 2 featuring the teams finishing second and third in their respective groups in the Sub-Zone League.
It is where Muharraq are headed, as they have already secured the no. 3 seed in Group A even before facing Ittihad. The Zain Premier League outfit finished the Group Phase with a pair of wins in six games.
Put to naught by the collapse was the all-around effort of West, who finished with game-highs of 28 points and 15 rebounds, which he laced with 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block in the 40 minutes he played.
Mahmood Khalifa had 16 points and 6 assists. Nadel Abdulrahim made 14 points while Mohamed Juma and Ali Rashed added 13 and 11 points, respectively, as they leaned on a balanced attack but still fell short.
As tough as the loss was, Coach Peter Schomers was still pleased with the fight his charges showed given their predicament. The Red Wolves missed both Timmy Bond and Kerwin Roach as both are in sick bay.
"I'm happy with the way we played. Of course, I'd be more happy with the win. But since this win doesn't make a difference, I'm not suffering as much as usual when we do lose," he said with a smile.
FIBA