Al Rayyan’s Dominic Davon attempts to get past a Qatar Sports Club defender during their Emir Cup match yesterday. At right, Al Arabi’s Tanguy Ngombo blocks a shot by Al Khor’s Abdulla al-Muftah.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Arabi and Al Rayyan began their Emir Cup campaigns with victories in their opening Group 1 matches at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall yesterday.
While Al Arabi overcame a 10-point deficit in the first quarter to overcome Al Khor 80-71, Al Rayyan led throughout for a 79-69 win over Qatar Sports Club.
Al Arabi were caught napping in the initial exchanges which saw Al Khor take a 10-0 lead in the first five minutes thanks to the effort of Kardell Bridgewaters and Rashad Singleton, who did the bulk of the scoring.
Al Arabi’s first point in the match came from a free throw by Tanguy Ngombo, and although they managed to get some momentum after that, it was Al Khor who led comfortably had their tails up with a 19-9 lead after the first period.
The second quarter saw Al Arabi slowly cut down Al Khor’s advantage and finally took a two-point (40-38) advantage with five seconds to go when Fahad al-Darwish shot a three-pointer.
It was again a see-saw affair in the third period with both teams battling to gain control but without success. Al Arabi, however, had the psychological advantage as they took a 60-59 lead into the final quarter.
A couple of three-pointers by Ngombo and Seck Oumar helped Al Arabi gain a healthy 68-62 lead in the first three minutes and from there on there was no looking back.
Al Arabi scored 20 points in the final quarter, restricting Al Khor to just 12, which proved decisive.
Oumar was the top scorer for the winners with 21, while al-Darwish and Ngombo had 16 each. Bridgewaters and Anthony Coleman excelled for Al Khor with 20 points each.
In the second match, veteran Yaseen Ismail Musa scored 20 points and Dominic Davon had 18 as Al Rayyan defeated Qatar Sports Club 79-69.
Al Rayyan hardly let their momentum slip to secure a comfortable win in the end, with Dominic Davon and Hassan Mohamed chipping in with 18 and 12 respectively.
For Qatar Sports Club, Wallace Cox top scored with 23, while Mile Ilic had 17 and Abdulrahman Mohamed 12.
