JEDDAH, 14 January 2007 — After Thursday’s defeat to Qadisiya, the spirited Al-Ahli played hard and safe by beating Al-Nahda 89-60 in the first game in the ongoing Saudi Basketball League at Prince Abudllah Al-Faisal Stadium on Friday night.
Yassir Muthar had another great night scoring 24 points and grabbing 16 rebounds against Nahda. In the previous game it was Muthar, not Mohamed Musa, who scored 21 points for Ahli.
Damon Forney had 25 points, eight blocks, and 13 rebounds. Kenny Tate added 19 points and nine assists. Yassir delighted fans repeatedly by slamming four dunk shots with his unbeatable performance. Kenny and Damon also gave their fans something to cheer about with their scores and passes.
Ahli were determined not to lose steam by taking the first-half lead 18-13. Holding their grip on the game the Ahli players finished halftime 41-25. Continuing with their inside game in the third period, Ahli took control of the game and finished with 67-40. Ahli finished the night 89-60. Faz Haj sparkled by claiming 13 points for Nahda.
In the second game, Al-Ittihad wore down Qadisiya 90-71. The first quarter saw Ittihad leading 20-17 with a three points advantage. Widening the gap Ittihad finished halftime 44-30. Ittihad dominated the game 66-56 by the third-quarter buzzer.
Qadisiya’s coach Ali Sanhani was shouting, “open it up!” and when they did, point guard Terrance Simmons penetrated and scored time after time finishing with 21 points.
Adel Aleyemi added 15 under-the-basket points. The pair kept the score close coming within one and three points - five times in the last period. With six minutes left, Ittihad’s big guns went to work. Adel Al-Johani finished with 25 points, Ali Mughrabi 23 points, and Tony Madison added 20 points and 11 assists. The high scoring trio was overpowering and finished the 90-71 in Ittihad’s favor.
