After helping Al Riyadi get closer to Big Dance, Karim Zeinoun gets his flowers

ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Karim Zeinoun once again proved head coach Ahmad Farran right following a sterling performance to help Al Riyadi get past Sagesse and move a win away from booking a return trip to the FIBA WASL-West Asia League Final.

“Since I joined Riyadi last season, I believed that Karim will be a key player for me.”

The two-way specialist finished with 18 points on 75-percent shooting from the field, including a 5-of-7 clip from deep, along with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals as the defending champions escaped by way of a 95-92 result in a thrilling Semi-Final opener last March 27.

Aside from matching his season-high in points, he also registered personal season-bests in three-pointers made, field goal percentage, and in efficiency with 28 in the win.

"Since I joined Riyadi last season, I believed that Karim will be a key player for me," the veteran mentor said after the game at the Stade Nouhad Nawfal. "In our strategy, Karim is a rare player who can give you a lot especially defensively; today he stepped up big-time offensively."

Zeinoun, being the defensive-oriented guard that he is, wasn't actually looking for his shots in the first half, with his focus solely on trying to limit opposing guard Jonathan Gibson.

But once he got his first shot off, a triple approaching the seven-minute mark of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 52-56, the 24-year-old got going, eventually playing a key role in the Yellow Castle's turnaround after being down by as many as 10 in the second.

Zeinoun sank four treys in the third alone, including one just before the period ended to give themselves a 73-65 lead as Al Riyadi remained in the driver's seat the rest of the way

"My first attempt was in the third quarter. But I knew, and Coach told me before - first of all, thank you for his words, they mean a lot - that I have a defensive job on Gibson, so my focus was on that," said 'KZ,' who was averaging 12.0 points prior to the Semis.

"And then in the third quarter, when I got my shots, thank God I shot a good percentage today. That's what I've been training on every day. It's not a surprise for me, or the coaches. Thanks to him and the coaching staff for believing in me and my teammates," he added.

That's why Farran had no doubt whatsoever who the star of the night was. "He was the star of the game. I'm so happy with his performance. Always," he said. "I always have trust in him and I know what he is capable of. He is the fan favorite. He is my favorite also."

"That's why Karim always starts every single game for Riyadi since I joined. When he is injured or out for any reason, we suffer. I say congratulations to him. He did a great job today and he was a key factor in our win," the champion bench tactician continued.

As happy as they are that the West Asia League Final is just within their reach, Zeinoun refuses to get too high, since they're expecting no less than a fightback from Sagesse.

Especially knowing that Game 2 of the best-of-3 series on April 3 will be held in their rivals' lair at the Ghazir Club Stadium, which is expected to be a full house once more.

"It's an exciting opportunity, but we're still humble. Our feet are on the ground ... it's not gonna be easy. Sagesse is a tough team," offered Zeinoun.

"We just need to take it game by game, step by step, and follow what the coaches have to say and when we do that, we'll come out victorious - hopefully," he added.

FIBA