ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Ula Club commenced their FIBA WASL Final 8 2026 with a statement victory by keeping their mastery of Al Arabi SC, 96-72, on Sunday evening at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex.
The Arabian Leopards came in with a practically new team after parting ways with Wael Arakji, Thon Maker, and Jonathan Gibson just weeks ago, but the present squad showed that everything remains A-OK.
It was evident right from the get-go, with the crew roaring to a 25-8 start before finishing the opening quarter with a wide 30-10 lead, effectively setting the tone for the rout that saw them lead by as many as 31 points.
"Yes, it was a statement," said head coach Izzat Ismail. "Like, we didn't come here just to participate. We came here to compete."
Four players finished in double figures in the win, with BCL veteran Elijah Stewart flirting with a triple-double by tallying 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists - all without committing a turnover - to lead the way.
Stewart already had 10 points in the first period, matching the opposition's total output by his lonesome as he and fellow reinforcements Mitch Creek and David Michineau presided over the team's blazing start.
Creek went on to finish with 22 points as well, alongside 16 rebounds plus 2 steals. Michineau delivered 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, with Abdulaziz Alalawi coming through with 14 points to lead the locals.
"We were up 30 at one point, I would've liked to keep that lead and rest some of our main players. But to come out with such a dominant win is very important," said Stewart, who earned Player of the Game honors.
Al Ula will soon shift their focus on posting back-to-back wins when they take on Sagesse SC on Tuesday, September 29. Tip-off time of what should be a playoff-type bout is set at 20:45 local time.
Leading the Qatari side, on the other hand, was Elmedin Kikanovic with 21 points and 9 rebounds as the WASL and BCL Asia champion with Al Riyadi played all 40 minutes for a team short-handed due to injuries.
Mosti Rashed had 14 points. Khaled Abdelbaset and Abdulrahman Saad had 13 and 10, respectively, as the quartet carried the load for the Red Devils.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't show our real face," lamented Kikanovic. "Our team can play much better basketball than what we showed tonight."
Al Arabi will look to nail their first win when they lock horns with Shahrdari Gorgan in the opening salvo of the double-header affair on Tuesday.
FIBA