Sagesse claim Third-Place and FIBA WASL Final 8 spot, set West Asia three-point record

GHAZIR (Lebanon) - Sagesse SC secured Third-Place in West Asia Super League (WASL) - West Asia and a spot in WASL Final 8 with a 116-66 win over Al Shorta in the decisive game, Wednesday night at the Ghazir Club Stadium.

The Lebanese squad did not leave any room for doubt, leading by as much as 52 points and after dominating their Iraqi opponents from nearly start to finish. Sagesse broke away after trading baskets in the middle of the first quarter and never looked back.

Winning the Third-Place Game is a consolation prize for Sagesse SC after battling a hard-fought Semi-Finals series against Finals-bound Al Riyadi. They also clinch a spot at the upcoming WASL Final 8, where a potential rematch against Al Riyadi lies as well as an opportunity to qualify for the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) awaits.

Game heroes: It was a balanced effort from the victors with five players scoring in double-digits, though they were led by star scorer Jonathan Gibson who had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals who was also voted the STEP AHEAD Player of the Game by the fans.

Gibson also had five made three-pointers, matching the total made by Aziz Abdel Massih (16 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists) and Bassel Talih Harfouch (20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists).

Turning point: The lead was already massive by the fourth quarter, but that didn't stop Sagesse from exploding for a 16-0 run. That built up their cushion to its peak at 52 points to the pleasure of the supporters in attendance.

Stats don't lie: The 116 points scored by Sagesse is the most by the team this season, which should come to no one's surprise as their 20 three-pointers made is the most by any team in WASL - West Asia over the past two seasons.

 They said: "We will try to come back for [WASL] next year. Maybe next year we do something for Iraq basketball. Step by step, come into the tournament to do our best." - Ali Ismael, Al Shorta

"We learned a lesson from [Sagesse] and from Riyadi, but at the end of the day our target was to reach the Second Round. it wasn't easy for us to beat [Al Wahda] and [Al Ittihad Ahli Aleppo], which we did, so I'm fully satisfied with the team." - Ghassan Sarkis, Head Coach, Al Shorta

"Honestly it wasn't a tough game. We controlled everything from the beginning as you see from the stats. In the first quarter, we won by 15 points. We controlled offensively and defensively everything. The most important thing in such games is to win free injury and this is what happened. We won, we qualified, and now we focus again on the league and we have a few weeks to prepare for the Final 8." - Jad El Hajj, Head Coach, Sagesse SC

"We had a great team win today. We came prepared. We prepare accordingly for every opponent and every game matters. We approach every game the same and day by day we progress through challenges, ups and downs. Our team needs experience and through those ups and downs we learn, and, hopefully we shine at the end." - Karim Ezzedine, Sagesse SC

FIBA