KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - Kazma announced their FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) comeback by way of a 95-81 victory over Muharraq Club on Monday night at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.
Back in the fold after missing the 2024-25 games, the Kuwaiti side roared in the second chapter and even led by as big as 20 in the third before finishing strongly toward repeating against their Bahraini counterparts.
The two had already faced off in the Third-Place Game of the 2023-24 WASL-Gulf League, which saw Kazma come from behind and take the 93-83 victory en route to punching a ticket to the Final 8 in Qatar.
Fast forward to now and Kazma continued to have the number of their foes from Zain Premier League, in the process joining Ittihad Club as the early winners in Group A as both squads tote identical 1-0 cards.
Interestingly, both teams will duke it out for the lead next Monday, October 27, still in Kuwait City.
"I think at the end, we adapted well. We found solutions. And for us, it's a big win," offered head coach Bojan Lazic post-game. "It's a starting point in which we can build something good further into the season."
Four players finished in double figures in the triumph, with Strahinja Micovic leading the way with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Phil Greene delivered 21 points behind a 5-of-7 clip from deep as he played all 40 minutes.
Abdulrahman Alshammari fired 18 points and 9 rebounds while Jaquan Johnson notched a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds, which he also laced with 4 assists, a steal, and a block for a full line.
The two were crucial in the solid windup, with Johnson scoring off a tough bucket underneath and then nailing a fallaway jumper before Alshammari knocked down a trey to make it a 90-75 lead with 1:29 to go.
Greene and Micovic would go on to brush in the final touches to secure the win - and ensure, too, that no collapse whatsoever would take place after the 55-35 they built got chopped to single digits multiple times.
"Entering the game, we did not know how we would respond. But we responded well. Of course, as always, there are some things we can improve on. But from this game, we can take more positives than negatives," Lazic said.
Nick West, on the other hand, led Muharraq with 30 points alongside 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Kerwin Roach tallied a 19-5-7 stat line while Mohammed Ameer added 17 points and 7 rebounds in the defeat.
Not only did the loss mar their WASL comeback but it also spoiled the return of Coach Peter Schomers, who's now with the Red Wolves after years with Kuwait Club - the team he led to back-to-back WASL-Gulf League titles.
Muharraq will look to nail their first win of the 2025-26 competitions when they take on the defending Sub-Zone League champions Shabab Al Ahli on November 3 at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai.
FIBA