Nicholas Stover scored a match-high 28 points to power Al Wakrah to their first Qatar Cup title with a convincing 83-74 victory over Al Arabi at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall yesterday.
Stover scored four times from the three-point mark and nailed seven out of seven free throws in a match that saw Al Wakrah lead for 35 minutes at the Al Gharafa Sports Club. Julius V. Coles with 19 and Abdelrehman Abdelhaleem with 15 also excelled for the winners, while Sammy Monroe saw his 24-point effort go in vain for Al Arabi.
Al Wakrah led 27-15 after the first quarter and held on to a 45-37 advantage at the half-way stage to keep the pressure on their rivals.
But Al Arabi bounced back into contention by scoring 19 points in the third quarter while restricting Al Wakrah to just 13, raising visions of an upset.
That was not to be, however, as Al Wakrah came up with a dominating 25-point effort in the final 10 minutes to seal the outcome of the match.
Al Wakrah players and officials celebrate after their Qatar Cup triumph at the Al Gharafa Indoor Hall yesterday. PICTURES: Shemeer Rasheed
