30 May 2015
BEIRUT: Fadi El Khatib scored 31 points and Amir Saoud added 19 to help Lebanon get their campaign off to a flying start at the WABA Championship Friday after they swept aside regional rivals Iraq 85-67.
With the win, Lebanon edged closer to securing their spot in the upcoming Asian Championship, as three out of the five participating teams will qualify from this tournament.
The Cedars, playing their first game in two years, started with a small lineup consisting of Ali Mahmoud, Khatib and naturalized American guard Jay Youngblood, as well as Elie Rustom and Bassel Bawji. Lebanon did not wait long to show their superiority as they led 4-0 thanks to Khatib and Bawji. The beginning of the match was low scoring, as Iraq managed to stay in contention through their physical game, which earned them several offensive rebounds.
After the end of the first quarter and with Lebanon ahead 16-15, the Cedars head coach Veselin Matic introduced Wael Arakji and Amir Saoud to the court. And both left their mark early, with Arakji adding speed, but this quarter belonged to the prince, who banked three consecutive triples to help the Lebanese side run riot and lead by 15 midway through the second.
Khatib continued to break through Iraqs defense with ease, as Lebanon went to the locker rooms 17 points ahead, 44-27.
The Cedars did not look back from there as they continued to extend their lead, which reached 27 points at one point in the third quarter.
However, the Iraqis came back fighting in the fourth quarter, with Lebanon going through moments of complacency, which allowed their opponents to claw back the deficit to 16 points.
Along with top scorers Khatib and Saoud, Arakji had seven points while Youngblood and Bawji added six points each.
Mostafa Hamza top scored for the Iraqis with 13 points.
Lebanon have a vital clash against Jordan in their second game Saturday where they will hope to edge closer to the WABA title, while securing their ticket to the Asian Championship.
Copyright The Daily Star 2015.
