JEDDAH — Mahmood Abdul Rauf scored 38 points to go with 6 steals and 7 assists to power Al-Ittihad to a crushing 101-87 victory over city rivals Al-Ahli Sunday night in the Saudi Basketball Federation AlJawal Tournament at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
Ali Magrabi added 23 points, Adel Al Johani 19 and newcomer center Wayne Powell 11 points for Jeddah-based Ittihad.
With new Argentinian head coach Guillermo Vecchio calling the shots, Ittihad wiggled out of a tight first period, where Ahli led by one 23-22, to take control for the rest of the night thanks to some adjustments they made in the game. Ittihad scored at will, hitting 12 three-point shots and scoring inside at every opportunity. Ittihad led by 52-46 at the turn and by 74-59 to end the third quarter.
Ahli put up a good fight. They scored well in the paint, but they could not hit the outside shot. Ahli hit only 6 three-point shots in the game and could not cope with Ittihad’s defense. Ahli’s high man was Yassar Mutar with 19 points, import players Kareem Grant, and Damon Forney each had 16 points, and Mahmood Tawall finished with 11 points.
Ansar are undefeated in 11 games in first place of the team standings. Ittihad, league leaders in offense and defense, took over second place with a 9-2 win-loss record with Ahli in third place also at 9-2. Ohud round out the top four with an 8-3 card. Qadisia are in fifth place (7-4), Fath sixth place (6-5), and Masera seventh (4-7).
