Sagesse claim biggest win of their season, set record low in turnovers

GHAZIR (Lebanon) - Sagesse dominated Al-Ittihad Ahli 101-58, getting another win before heading into the next phase of West Asia Super League (WASL) - West Asia at the Ghazir Club Stadium on Wednesday, February 14.

The first quarter was closely competed with Al-Ittihad Ahli leading 27-24, but it didn't take long for the home team to shift gears. Sagesse jumped out to a 20-0 run in the second quarter and outscored their opponents 50-16 over the next two quarters as they cruise along to victory.

The victory clinches the second spot in Group A for Sagesse, while Al-Ittihad Ahli sit at third place heading into the next phase.

Jonathan Gibson and Omar Jamaleddine both surpassed 20 points for Sagesse, while Al-Ittihad Ahli had two double-digit scorers in Mohamad Bilal Atli (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Nadim Issa (10 points).

Game Heroes: Gibson cooled down towards the end of the game to finish with 26 points on 6 three-pointers, but he already had 17 of those points in the first half. He was quick to heat up, allowing Sagesse to build up such a big lead.

STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Omar Jamaleddine had what was arguably his best game of this WASL season, going for 22 poiints on 9-15 shooting and 10 rebounds. It was enough to win him over with the fans as the STEP AHEAD Player of the Game.

Turning Point: Three minutes into the second quarter, Jonathan Gibson applied immense pressure on defense on Alhosain Hasan, got the steal, broke away for a powerful layup, drew the contact, and finished for an and-one basket. The next immediate play, Gibson dished out a beautiful assist to Aziz Abdel Massih for a three-pointer. The 6-point swing proved to be fatal for Al-Ittihad Ahli.

Stats don't lie: Sagesse handled their business in this game… and handled the ball. The committed only 3 turnovers in this game, the least in a game by any team in this WASL history.

They Said: "We just did a good first quarter and we did a very bad three quarters. We scored only 27 points in the last three quarters… it was an occasion to put some young guys to play… We move on." - Safouane Ferjani, Head Coach, Al-Ittihad Ahli

"The first quarter was good, the rest of the game we could have done better. For sure the next games and upcoming games we will do better." - Mohamad Bilal Atli, Al-Ittihad Ahli

"Nothing much to say, we put a target to win all four quarters, we won three except the first one. We controlled everything in the game, rebounds assists steals defense, points off turnovers. Thank god we won the game with no injuries and that is the most important... It's clear for everyone, in each group you have one great team - two teams in our group which is us and Gorgan. And we couldn't win against them… hopefully, in the upcoming round, we will do it. And the second Group I think Al Riyadi is far and away the best one." - Jad El Hajj, Head Coach, Sagesse

"This was a product of our team's focus and execution on this one and we look to carry it on to the next games... It felt great to have the trust from the coaches and the players on my team, it makes all the difference. I will continue in the next games." - Omar Jamaleddine, Sagesse

FIBA