Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai ward off Kazma, gain share of Group B lead

KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai needed some assistance from Lady Luck to escape the hungry Kazma, 85-80, to remain unscathed in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL), Tuesday night at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex in the Kuwaiti capital.

Talal Alnuaimi coolly sank both of his free throws that iced the game with 12.6 seconds left as the visitors from the UAE averted a massive collapse from taking place after what was once an 18-point lead became just three, 83-80, when Travis Leslie tried to will the home team back.

But Leslie couldn't complete his heroics when his attempt for the game-tying three-pointer against the defense of Qais Omar Alshabebi missed, allowing Talal to make up for his turnover just past mid-court earlier that gave the opposition the opportunity to tie the game.

The test of character has enabled Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai to improve to 2-0 and join Manama on top of the Group B standings in the Gulf League. Interestingly, both teams will be disputing the solo lead on December 18 at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai.

Game heroes: Chavaughn Lewis led the way with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, once again flirting with a triple-double after tallying 27-8-9 against Al Shamal.

Nick Minnerath made 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Alshabebi overcame a horrid shooting night (2-13 FG) and still had 12 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.

Assane Boye also added 12 for Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Lewis earned STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors as he finished with the highest efficiency rating in the game with 31.

Turning point: Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai were already up by a decade, 83-73, with 2:38 remaining in the game until Leslie scored seven in a row to pull Kazma within three, setting up the tight finish.

Stats don't lie: Save for that near-collapse, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai took control of the game as early as the second quarter, where they scored 30 points to head into the halftime break with a 52-39 lead. They scored double the output of their opponents in the said period.

The team finished with 24 assists, the second game in a row where they racked up 20-plus dimes. They had 25 in their 96-63 drubbing of Al Shamal last November 21.

They said: "Regardless of the standings and regardless of the outcome, we want to play every game and give every game its worth. Manama is the champion from the last edition so we know who Manama is. Manama is a big team and we look forward to welcoming them on our home floor. Hopefully turn in a good result - a result that will make us and the UAE proud." - Oualid Zrida, Head Coach, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai.

"Right now our issue is not intensity, it's not who we're playing, We go into every game the same. We're not concerned about who the opponent is. It's about us. It's about playing our game rather than playing what it says on the scoreboard. I think we'll be fine, it's just something we need to work on." - Nick Minnerath, Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai

"This is one of the positive things that I see. Let's be realistic also, this is a very good team, Shabab Al Ahli. And to show this kind of bounce back in the second half, this shows us that this team has potential." - Bojan Lazic, Head Coach, Kazma

"We gotta come out better. The way we start the game is how the game goes. We just gotta be better on both ends. More defensively. We just regroup and learn from our mistakes. We got more games so we're gonna keep going." - Travis Leslie, Kazma

FIBA