Agencies/Amman
Al Rayyan of Qatar played well within themselves, but proved strong enough to beat ONGC of India 85-58 for their third win in as many games of the 24th FIBA Asia Champions Cup and finish their Group B Prelim Round engagements on top. ONGC, having lost all their three games will finish No 4, assured of a place in the quarter-finals. |
ONGC now await the No 1 team of Group A – the winners of game between ASU and Mahan – while Rayyan will play against the No 4 team of Group A – Al Jaish of Syria.
Rayyan scored the first seven points of the game racing to a 24-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, which included 10 unanswered points. And that was good enough to underline Rayyan’s superiority in the proceedings, the remainder of the game used by coach Brian Rowsom to get the bench a feel of the court.
Each Rayyan player was on court for at least four minutes, and 11 of them scored. That only three of them scored in the double digits spoke for Rayyan’s all-round offence.
Import Alvin Mofunanya was Rayyan’s leading scorer with 16 points, the American also pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds for the only double-double of the game.Omer Salem added 13 points along with 9 rebounds and Khalid Abdi had 13 points.
ONGC, with trainer Ahmad Aftab standing in as the coach – their main coach Durgesh Bhatia having flown back home – were left behind chasing their more fancied rivals throughout.
Amritpal Singh’s 16 points was the highest for ONGC with fellow India international Yadwinder Singh adding 15 points.