Dubai The UAE recorded their first win as former champions Club Sagesse maintained their clean record after two matches in preliminary round action at the 26th Dubai International Basketball Tournament at the Al Ahli Club’s indoor hall on Saturday.
After opening their campaign with a loss against Sporting Club of Lebanon on the first day on Thursday, the UAE were rock solid in all departments of the game as they sidestepped Zamalek, Egypt 103-94 to brighten their chances of advancing to the knockout stages.
Leading the home side from the front was Khamis Al Dhanhani with 39 points, including 16 rebounds and two assists, while Omar Khalid chipped in with a useful 30 points even as Sharif Abdullah waged a lone battle for the Egyptians by outscoring all with a game-high 41 points.
UAE coach Zoran Zupevic was a pleased man after slaying a strong opponent. “And we achieved this win in style as we played an entertaining brand of basketball that pleased the crowd. This is a team for the future and I am convinced they can only get better with time,” Zupevic told Gulf News.
The UAE matched their stronger opponents as they remained tied 23-23 at the end of the opening period, only to see Zamalek break free for a nine-point cushion early in the second.
But the UAE did well on the fast breaks to trail by a single point 46-47 at the half-time whistle. Midway through the third period the UAE had managed to reclaim the lead at 60-56, but top-scorer Sharif Abdullah sunk in a couple of three-pointers to see Zamalek nudge ahead 75-70 at the end of the penultimate period of play.
However, the UAE never stopped fighting as they matched their technically superior rivals and outscored the Egyptians 33-19 in the final quarter to record their first win of this competition. “Hard work pays. We had a good game and much of the focus was getting everything right in all departments,” the UAE’s top-scorer Al Dhanhani said.
“We will take it one match at a time and hopefully we will get even better in the next match,” he added.
Later in the evening, former champions Sagesse continued their winning form with a dominating 106-71 win over the Athletes’ Rod-sponsored selection, And1 SPL team from the USA. The Lebanese champions outscored their American opponents in all quarters with the second half fetching them a whopping 61 points.
Sala, Morocco became the third team with an unbeaten record after a 96-79 win over Dubai’s Al Shabab in the last match.
