Thomas Blair top-scored with 27 points as Al Gharafa beat Al Ahli 86-75 in the Qatar Basketball League at the Al Rayyan Sports Club yesterday.
Al Gharafa led throughout, but Al Ahli put up a brave fight, scoring 27 points in the final quarter. That, however, came a tad late in the day as Al Gharafa held their nerve to seal the match by an 11-point margin.
Osaro Adako had 20 points while Abdelqadir Salam excelled with 18 for the winners, who had 38 points in the paint and 14 through fast breaks. They also scored 22 from turnovers.
For Al Ahli, Calvin Cage Jr. was the leading scorer with 27, while Alvin Mofunanya had 19 and Delonte Holland 13.
In another match, Al Wakrah thrashed Al Khor 88-69 with Kenneth Wilson excelling for the winners.
Wilson scored 27 points including four three-pointers while Ahmed Darwish had 20 of which 18 were scored through three-pointers.
For Al Khor, Moustapha Niang scored 28 points and Antwon Hardy had 19.
Today Al Shamal meet Al Sadd at 5.30pm followed by a match between El Jaish and Al Rayyan at 7.30pm. Both matches will be played at the Al Rayyan Sports Club.