GHAZIR (Lebanon) - Sagesse SC finally got the monkey off their backs following a 75-69 victory over Al Wahda to barge into the 2025-26 FIBA WASL-West Asia League win column at the Ghazir Club Stadium, Thursday.
Paris Bass starred with 23 points and 9 rebounds as the lanky forward spearheaded the crucial third-quarter surge that put the home team ahead for good en route to chalking up win no. 1 after a harrowing 0-3 start.
He scored 15 of his points in the said period, including 8 to power a 10-0 run that turned a narrow one-point lead to a 53-42 advantage with 1:33 remaining which was all they needed to be in control the rest of the way.
New acquisitions Walter Hodge and Kevin Murphy - himself a league veteran - would go on to pull the finishing blows when the visitors chopped a 13-point lead to just five late to secure the much-needed victory.
"We're happy to grab our first win. It was very important for us and the fans," Coach Joe Ghattas said.
Murphy, previously of Kazma and Al Riyadi, finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds in his comeback. Hodge, for his part, provided 14 points as the troika carried much of the load offensively in the triumph.
Ali Haidar fell just short of a double-double showing with 9 points and 11 rebounds while Gerard Hadidian chipped in 8 points as Ghattas' 8-player rotation proved effective toward breaking their winless spell.
Sagesse will now turn their attention back to the Lebanese Basketball Championship at home before resuming their WASL campaign on January 7 against Shahrdari Gorgan at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran, Iran.
"We will build on this win tonight. We're looking forward to the next game," Ghattas offered.
James Justice, Jr., on the other hand, tallied 19 points alongside 7 rebounds and 7 assists to lead Al Wahda, who remained as the only winless team this season - including WASL-Gulf - as they fell to 0-3.
Falando Jones was his lone backup with 15 and 5 rebounds. New guy Prince Orizu had 8 points and 10 rebounds, while Bilal Atli added 6 points and 11 rebounds as they actually won the rebounding battle, 53-42.
Al Wahda will soon fly to Kazakhstan to face BC Astana (2-1) next Thursday, December 17, looking to get their first win against a team that's fresh from beating reigning champs Al Riyadi at the Saryarka Velodrome.
FIBA