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Al-Riyadi suffered a heavy defeat in their Intercontinental Cup opener against the Spanish team Fundación Unicaja de Malaga (96-59).
Al-Riyadi coach Ahmad Farran chose Karim Zeinoun, Hayk Gyokchyan, Wael Arakji, Manny Harris, and Elmedin Kikanovic as his starting five.
Karim Zeinoun gave the illusion of opening the scoring for his team, but the Spanish team quickly regained control of the game.
In terms of two-point shooting, Fundación Unicaja demonstrated their superiority by converting 62% of their attempts (8/13), while al-Riyadi only managed a 44% rate (12/27). The Spaniards also dominated defense in the first half, which contributed to their lead.
The half-time score was 42-31 in favor of Fundación Unicaja.
Entering the second half, al-Riyadi completely lost control of the game. The pace set by Unicaja accelerated, complicating the task of the Lebanese, who saw the gap widen before finally losing 96-59.
It’s important to remember that al-Riyadi is the only representative from the Asian continent in this competition, having won the Asian Club Championship (BCL Asia).
Al-Riyadi’s next match is scheduled for Saturday, September 14, at 11 AM Beirut time against Petro de Luanda (Angola). The result of this match will determine their progress in Sunday’s game.
