ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Sagesse SC needed some late-game heroics from Youssef Khayat to escape Shahrdari Gorgan by way of a 103-97 decision in a thrilling start to their FIBA WASL Final 8 2026 on Sunday night.
The star forward finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds, coming through with two truly crucial plays to help the home team avert disaster after their Iranian counterparts tied the game at 97-all behind a 9-0 run.
With nerves of steel, 'Yoyo' knocked down the go-ahead jumper for the 99-97 lead with 46.2 seconds to go, and then hauled down the missed trifecta of D'Angelo Harrison on the other end to get the possession back.
The game would never be in doubt since, with Jamal Jones pushing the spread to 101-97 before coming through with a big swat on Harrison's attempt from the corner pocket with only 7.4 seconds remaining.
And that stop led to an emphatic end to the tightly-contested affair, with athletic winger Deshawndre Washington rising up for an unmolested two-handed slam with 2.9 seconds left to settle the final count.
As the final buzzer rang, all of their faithful filled the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex with cheers and adoration as they witnessed their team finally beat Gorgan in WASL after losing in their first three meetings.
"We're very happy," said head coach Joe Ghattas. "We deserve to grab a win. I believe the last time we played Gorgan on our court, we lost the game in the last two to three minutes ... Great way to start the tournament."
Washington top-scored for Sagesse with 27 points alongside 10 rebounds and 7 assists, eventually bagging home Capelli Sport Player of the Game honors as the WASL-Gulf League champion netted an efficiency of 40.
Jones finished with 25 points and 3 of the team's 4 blocks. Gerard Hadidian also made his presence felt, especially in the game's early goings, with 18 points as a total of 4 players finished in double figures in the W.
Sagesse (1-0) will next face Al Ula Club (1-0) on Tuesday, September 29, at 20:45 local, in a battle for the provisional lead in Group B. The Arabian Leopards beat the undermanned Al Arabi SC earlier, 96-72.
"Every win is important for us," said the former player-turned-bench tactician. "We came here to play hard every single night. We need to grab every win to go to the next stage, which is the Semi-Finals."
Harrison, on the other hand, led Gorgan with 31 points in the comeback that fell just short. Stefan Jankovic made 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Jordan Stevens added a 22-3-6 stat line in 40 minutes.
It was this same troika that powered their fourth-quarter assault, with Jankovic and Stevens - together with Amirhossein Azari - powering the aforementioned run that erased the 97-88 lead their foes had.
Jankovic could've given them the lead but only split his foul shots and tied the game instead. And it proved to be their final charge as Stevens and Harrison could no longer find the mark while Sagesse had their way.
Bronze medalists of the 2024 Final 8, Gorgan will try to barge into the win column when they take on the Red Devils of Qatar (0-1) on Tuesday.
FIBA