ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi showed poise in the fourth quarter to oust Ittihad Club, 97-87, and finish the FIBA WASL Final 8 2025 Group Phase unbeaten, Wednesday night at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
The reigning champions faced a tough challenge from the WASL-Gulf League runners-up with Wael Arakji sidelined, but heroes were aplenty and made sure that no upset would take place in their own home floor.
Marin Maric asserted himself offensively, scoring 14 of his 23 points in the deciding chapter as the Croatian big man helped a great deal in putting the game out of reach after the opposition came back multiple times.
As Ittihad knocked to within a solitary point, Maric went on to take matters into his own hands, personally scoring 10 points in consecutive fashion to stretch the gap to 81-72 approaching the midway mark of the period.
And when their foes rallied again and got to within a field goal, 85-83, with 2:16 to go, Karim Zeinoun then came in with a tough blow, nailing a crucial trifecta to widen the lead to five less than two minutes to spare.
That triple would actually trigger their strong finishing kick, with Ali Mansour, Maric, and Thon Maker joining the fray to establish a decade's worth of a lead, 95-85, with 26.2 seconds left, all but sealing the deal.
"We did the job. That's the most important thing. We have a clean record leading the group, and we're going to the Semi-Final with high confidence," said head coach Ahmad Farran. "Happy and proud of all my players."
Maker finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, alongside 4 assists and 3 blocks. Mansour supplied 15 points and 8 assists while Zeinoun came through with 12 points, all of which he collected from beyond the arc.
Amir Saoud notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists. Hayk Gyokchyan tallied the same amount of points as a total of six players wound up in double figures in another showcase of depth.
The victory was important not only for Riyadi (3-0) but for their long-time domestic rivals as well, with Sagesse SC securing the second seed in the group with a 2-1 win-loss record after Ittihad lost.
Now, the Lebanese powerhouses await their Semi-Finals opponents from Group B. All three teams in that pool - Tabiat (1-0), Al Qadsia SC (1-1), and Shabab Al Ahli (0-1)) - still have a fighting chance to advance.
Tabiat and Shabab Al Ahli will face each other tomorrow night to conclude the Group Phase and that result will finally determine which two teams will qualify and face the protagonists of last year's Final 8 title bout.
Wasted by Ittihad's loss, meanwhile, was the three-headed attack of Keron DeShields, Majok Deng, and Yasir Aljohani as they kept the team in the thick of the fight but ultimately fell just short.
DeShields led the pack with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Deng produced 25 points and 7 rebounds while Aljohani added 22 points and 5 rebounds as the team finished their campaign with a 1-2 record.
Nonetheless, it was a season to remember for the crew, who overcame a slow start on the way to achieving history not only in WASL but in their country, too, by winning the Saudi Basketball League championship.
FIBA