ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi began their FIBA WASL back-to-back bid by running roughshod over BC Astana, 93-58, to open the 2025 Final 8 competitions at the Stade Nouhad Naufal on Saturday night.
The reigning champions needed only little time to assert control, taking the lead midway into the first quarter before pulling away in the following frame to start their quest for history in rousing fashion.
"I'm glad we kicked off our campaign with a win," said head coach Ahmad Farran. "It's very important to start with a win in order to go to the second game without the pressure of losing. We prepared a lot."
A total of six players finished in double figures for the defending three-time WASL-West Asia League titlists, with main man Wael Arakji leading the balanced attack with 21 points and 7 assists, along with a pair of steals.
The lefty guard was the one who put themselves ahead for good, nailing four straight points which would trigger a 14-3 run toward an 18-9 advantage with less than three minutes to go in the opening frame.
His teammates then came to help at the turn of the new chapter, with Amir Saoud and Thon Maker scoring inside to give the home team their first double-digit lead at 27-15 barely a minute into the second.
It would be all Riyadi since, with their lead ballooning to as big as 39 points, 87-48, late in the match as they ran the floor mostly in the second half, huge thanks to their stifling defense against the CABA representatives.
"We forced them to 20 turnovers and we scored from their turnovers with 34 points. This is a big number. I'mso happy with the performance of my players defensively," lauded the champion bench tactician.
Maker came through with 15 points and 9 rebounds, together with an assist, a steal, and 5 blocks as the reigning WASL Most Valuable Player netted an efficiency of 27 after submitting a full line in 27 minutes.
Marcus Georges-Hunt finished with 14 points. The frontcourt tandem of Marin Maric and Hayk Gyokchyan came through with 11 points apiece while Saoud chipped in 10 points, spiked by a pair of triples.
"We found our rhythm, we found our shooters, and everybody got to touch the ball," said Maker as the team shot 56.45-percent from the floor thanks to their 20 assists en route to taking the early Group A lead.
The win should serve as a solid buildup for Riyadi as they will face Sagesse SC next in another Beirut Derby tiff set Monday, May 12, at 20:45 local time in a rematch of last year's thrilling Final 8 championship bout.
Andrei Desiatnikov and TJ Starks, on the other hand, had 17 points apiece and combined for 14 rebounds to lead Astana in the loss. Ruslan Aitkali was the only other player in twin digits with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
The team from Kazakhstan have now lost twice in a row to the same team it actually beat to secure a third-place finish during the Final 8's inaugural edition back in 2023 in Dubai by way of a 94-90 decision.
Astana will look for its first win of the tilt when they play Ittihad Club of Saudi Arabia also on Monday.
FIBA