ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Indian Railways finally gave SABA its first-ever win in the FIBA West Asia Super League Final 8 by pulling off a 93-85 upset of Ittihad Club on Monday at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex.
No team from the Sub-Zone had won in the pan-regional meet after Tamil Nadu went 0-3 during the 2024 edition in Qatar, a skid that extended to 4 when the current representatives bowed to Al Riyadi last Saturday.
But all that is in the past now, as the Indian ball club flipped the script by taking down the former WASL-Gulf League runners-up, using a strong start en route to barging into the win column of Group A.
Aside from making history, the Railways have kept their Semi-Finals hopes alive. They improved to 1-1, and could further strengthen their bid should they take care of business against Kuwait Club on Wednesday.
"It's really good to be part of history," offered lead assistant coach Rajan Sharma. "We got a good group of guys, and we got an NBA player and two imports that made it happen. It's really for our country."
Cleanthony Early led the Railways with 26 points and 5 rebounds. The former NBA pro already had 21 in the first half as he presided over their hot start into the ball game that saw the crew jump to a 26-16 lead.
Tim Dalger produced 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Darlinstone Dubar notched a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Sahaij Sehkon added 12 as a total of 4 players finished in double digits in the win.
Princepal Singh fell just short of a double-double with 9 points and 11 of the team's 50 rebounds as the Railways' strong rebounding (50-39) and better shooting with a 46-percent clip were both crucial in the stunner.
"To represent the country and help them get their first win is something I take pride in," Early expressed. "And it's a really good feeling. Congrats to the guys, congrats to us. And let's just try to get the second win."
Amorie Archibald, on the other hand, finished with 23 points and 7 assists to lead the Tigers, who absorbed their second loss in as many outings and are now in danger of bowing out of the tournament early.
Khalid Abdel Gabar made 22 points and 8 assists. Wayne Chism supplied 12 points and 19 rebounds, as Mathna Almarwani chipped in 10 for the Saudi Arabian side, who will next face Al Riyadi on Wednesday as well.
"It was a tough game," said Abdel Gabar. "Like, every time we cut the lead to five points, seven points, they started to make some runs. They hit tough shots, too ... It's really hard to win against a team that's shooting well."
FIBA