ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi flexed their championship poise down the stretch to top Sagesse SC anew, 75-67, and rule the FIBA West Asia Super League for a third consecutive time on Sunday night.
Hayk Gyokchyan and Karim Zeinoun delivered the biggest blows amid an upheaval, hitting back-to-back triples to push their lead back to 10, 67-57, with 4:58 to go, which practically took the wind out of their foes' sails.
Zach Lofton and Donovan Williams came in and hit crucial shots of their own, before 'KZ' delivered the haymaker with a short jumper to extend the spread to 75-64 with 1:02 left to play, all but sealing the deal.
All of the squad - and their faithful that electrified the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex - would erupt in jubilation, as they completed a 'three-peat' in the pan-regional contest behind another 5-game sweep of the Final 8.
"I will not say anything technical. We're just happy and proud, and we're enjoying this moment," said head coach Ahmad Farran. "Having won three times in a row, WASL has become Riyadi's favorite tournament."
Lofton top-scored for Riyadi with 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading the same club he helped win the Basketball Champions League Asia back in 2024 in Dubai which sent them to the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
The former NBA pro already had 9 points in the opening period to lead the Yellow Castle to a 26-14 lead, and then fired 11 in the third to help widen the gap to double digits again before one last stand by their rivals.
Gyokchyan finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Nick West tallied near-identical numbers with 13 points and 12 rebounds plus a block, while Donovan Williams chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds alongside 2 steals.
"I'm blessed to be part of a club where every single person is ready to step up, and no matter who's out there, he gives all his best," said Gyokckhyan. "And we fight for the jersey. That's why we keep winning."
Williams eventually earned Most Valuable Player honors as he was one of the tournament's most consistent providers, as proven by his solid per-game averages of 27.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steal.
The UNLV product has now become the third player from Riyadi to bag home the league's highest individual award after Thon Maker in 2024 and Wael Arakji - a former BCL Asia MVP as well - just last season.
Sagesse, on the other hand, were led by Karim Ezzedine with 17 points in the loss, marking the second time that they bowed to Riyadi in the WASL Final, the first being in 2024 in Doha, Qatar which went into overtime.
Gerard Hadidian was his lone backup with 13 points as the reinforcements struggled. Deshawndre Washington did collect 11 rebounds and 5 assists but only finished with 9 points on 16 attempts from the floor.
Jamal Jones also had 9 points, with AJ English ending up with 7 as the squad as a whole couldn't find an answer to fill in the absence of Youssef Khayat, who was ruled out of the game due to an ankle injury.
The 23-year-old star got hurt during the third quarter of their eventual 87-74 win over Kuwait Club in the Semi-Finals on Saturday, and that proved to be his last game of this Final 8 in a premature end to a solid run.
"I've been here before, and it doesn't feel good," lamented Ezzedine, who was part of the Sagesse team that settled for a runner-up finish two seasons ago. "But I promise that we'll make it better this year."
FIBA