Riyadi defeated Astana, the champion of Kazakhstan, with a score of 101-69 in their first match of the Wasl tournament finals, qualifying for the Asian Club Championship.
Slow Start
The yellow club entered with the quintet that closed the Lebanese championship: Wael Arakji, Karim Zeinoun, Jonathan Simmons, Hayk Gyokchyan, and Thon Maker.
This quintet struggled to find its rhythm and pace at the beginning of the first quarter, allowing Ali Mansour to enter and, as usual, provide offensive and defensive dynamics, allowing Riyadi to get back into the game. The quarter ended with a score of 20-14 in favor of the yellow club.
Dynamic Duo
Coach Ahmad Farran relied on the duo of Elemedine Kikanovic and Thon Maker in the second quarter.
This duo managed to create problems for the Kazakh team, disrupting them offensively and allowing Riyadi to increase the lead to more than 10 points.
But Astana came back thanks to three-pointers from their foreign player, Davin Davis, bringing the team back into the game. The second quarter ended with a score of 44-36 in favor of Riyadi.
A Spectacular Second Half
Riyadi started the third quarter strongly thanks to Jonathan Simmons, who scored 16 points on offense and delivered a phenomenal defensive performance, allowing the Kazakh team to score no more than 12 points in this quarter. The third quarter ended with a score of 73-48.
In the spectacular final quarter, the stars of Manara shone with explosive baskets, leading to a 30-point difference. The team rested most of its stars and played with an all-Lebanese lineup without affecting the performance of the yellow club, which maintained the same intensity and finished the match 101-69.
The Derby Again
The appointment is set for tomorrow with another Lebanese basketball derby between Riyadi and Sagesse, this time from the Lusail Arena in Qatar, at 9:00 PM Beirut time for the top spot in Group A.
