Sport | Basketball

Saba send Mahram crashing out

Iran's Saba sent defending champions Mahram crashing out of the 19th Dubai International Basketball Championship with a 100-64 thrashing on Thursday.

  • By Alaric Gomes, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:04 January 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Megan Hirons/Gulf News
  • Iran's Mahram team (white) clash with compatriots Saba in the quarterfinals at Al Ahli Club.

Dubai: Iran's Saba sent defending champions Mahram crashing out of the 19th Dubai International Basketball Championship with a 100-64 thrashing on Thursday.

Jordan's Zain were also celebrating after dumping former champs Hikmeh 87-79 to enter the semifinals of the United Holdings Cup.

It was Mahram's first loss this season to their fellow countrymen in three encounters. Saba are second in the Iranian League behind defending champions Mahram.

Foot on the accelerator

The best Mahram could do was take a one-point lead at the end of the opening quarter after a basket from Samad Nikkah Bahrami. But Saba suddenly put their foot on the accelerator as Garth Joseph gave them a comfortable 14-point cushion of 46-30 by the half-time whistle.

Joseph was at his devastating best, with a game-high 36 points. The third quarter proved equally decisive as the Saba defence shut out Mahram and there was little even the experienced Tony Madison could do.

Saba went on to do the bulk of the scoring in this quarter, dumping in 22 unanswered points. By the end of the period, however, Saba were well on their way to inflicting an embarrassing defeat on their arch-rivals with the score standing 77-44 in their favour.

The lead was swelled to 40 points midway through the final quarter with Saba's pro Makan Dioumassi coming in handy with some swift scoring. A final dunk on the buzzer from Asghar Kardousht entered the scoring into the three-figure zone as Saba wound up a well-deserved win 100-64.

Mahram coach Hashemi Mustafa explained his team was mentally unprepared for such a tough game against their fellow countrymen due to the demise of one of their players Homaid Sorabh.

"The players were scared mentally, and to make matters worse, we did not have anyone to counter the threat from Joseph," he said.

In the second match held later in the evening, Dubai Duty Free-sponsored Zain relied on the finesse of their foreign pro Nate Johnson to get past former champions Hikmeh of Lebanon.

The Jordanians replied heavily on their foreign combination of Johnson, Justin Jones and Rashim Right to counter the swift-moving Lebanese to lead by a mere four points (21-17) at the end of the first quarter.

Zain kept up the pressure in the second quarter and swelled their lead to double figures 34-24 within five minutes, eventually trooping out for halftime with a 11-point cushion at 45-34.

Johnson topscored with 23 points, while Jones and Right chipped in with 19 and 18 points respectively as Zain ran away winners 87-79.

More from Basketball

  1. UAE association gets a corporate boost

  2. Al Habtoor Group boost to basketball in UAE

  3. The heat is on

  4. 76ers win in fight to force Game Seven

All articles in Basketball

More from Sport

Gulf News
Popular in Basketball
Multimedia
Sport Editor's choice