ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Stedmon Lemon rewrote the FIBA WASL Final 8 history books in leading Tabiat past Qadsia, 112-85, for a stupendous start to their campaign Sunday night at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
The American winger erupted for 45 points. resetting the competition's record for most points in a game which was previously held by Markell Johnson when he had 42 to lead Astana past Manama, 122-117, last year.
He broke the record with a jumper off an Ivan Buva dime with 3:43 left to play, and then capped off his performance with a jam during the closing moments to help his side get the early lead in Group B.
Lemon was also pivotal in their third-quarter breakaway, scoring 10 in the Iran Basketball League outfit's decisive 17-2 run to turn a narrow three-point lead to a wide 80-64 advantage to close the said chapter.
All in all, the 32-year-old shot an excellent 17-of-22 from the floor, including a 4-of-6 clip from three, and also collected 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals to finish with an efficiency of 52 - a record in itself.
He was 10 rungs clear of the old mark set twice last year as well, first by Johnson in that same game mentioned above and then by Clint Chapman when he led Kazma to a 102-96 win over Tamil Nadu.
"Glory to god," said Lemon. "My teammates trusted me, and I just made shots."
It wasn't just him who made a record, though, as Tabiat as a whole wrote an accomplishment as well. They finished with a total of 30 assists, which is now the most by any team in a single game in the Final 8.
"The players got their chemistry better and we made a lot of shots," offered head coach Mehran Shahintab. "And, we controlled the fastbreak. We were sharing the ball, that's why the second half was easier for us."
The team also drew a stellar showing from lead playmaker Sina Vahedi, who registered 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists, plus a steal to net an efficiency of 40.
Vahedi shot five treys as he and Lemon accounted for nine of Tabiat's 12 shots from deep. It was practically the same tandem that joined hands in putting together the third-quarter surge to capture control.
Ivan Buva was the only other double-digit scorer with 14 points in the triumph.
Tabiat will look to finish the group stage unbeaten - and more importantly reach the Semi-Finals - when they take on WASL-Gulf League champions Shabab Al Ahli on Thursday, May 15, at 20:45 local time.
Sek Henry, meanwhile, had 24 points to lead Qadsia, who lost big man Chinemelu Elonu at the 7:12-mark of the third after suffering an apparent leg injury, never to return. He exited with 21 points to his name.
The loss has made their meeting against Shabab Al Ahli on Tuesday, May 13,also at 20:45 local time a must-win as there are only three teams left in Group B following Tamil Nadu's withdrawal days before the tournament.
FIBA