JEDDAH, 11 February 2007 — Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Ahli 76-68 Thursday night in the Al Jawal-Saudi Basketball League at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
Ahli were undermanned playing without their import player center Damon Forney out with a bad back. Ali Mugraby, Ittihad’s star forward, left the game in the first quarter after sustaining an unintentional elbow to the nose. X-rays showed a small fracture.
The battle went on with Ittihad up 26-17 at the end of the first period. Leading by 13 points at halftime 46-33, Ittihad looked good. Ittihad’s center picked up four fouls and sent back to the bench.
Ahli’s Jared Bledsoe took over the game driving to the basket and rallied his team in the third period. Ahli tied the game with 2:35 to go in the third and ended the quarter in front at 59-55.
Ittihad’s center Priest Lauderdale got back in the game and made a difference, scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots. He finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Tony Madison had 16 points, 7 assist, and 4 steals. Jabber Kabi finished with 12 for Ittihad. For Ahli, Jared Bledsoe put in 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Yassar Mutar added 14 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. Mahmoud Attwal had 11 points. Ittihad’s inside game turned the tide giving them the win.
In other league actions, Ohud beat Al-Hilal 90-71, Ansar defeated Nasr 95-68 and Nadah squeaked past Masera 91-90, while Wedah edged Qadisiya 77-72.
Ittihad are in first place, followed by Ansar second, Ohud third, and Ahli fourth. Ittihad remain the only undefeated team in the league.
