Al Ittihad triumph in basketball thriller

Favourites Al Rayan from Qatar were condemned to defeat in the cruellest of circumstances as Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad snatched victory in the dying minutes of an action-packed 12th ABC Nescafe Champions Cup final at the Al Ahli Club yesterday.

Leading 101-99 with just 90 seconds remaining the Qataris were overwhelmed by a visibly determined Al Ittihad, who overcame some characteristic errors to clinch the title as Lithuanian pro Andrius Vaysniauskar sunk a basket just seconds before the buzzer went off. Ittihad won 101 after trailing 57-47 at half time.

The Saudis received every possible encouragement from their many fans and fully deserved their victory, if only for the resolve which they displayed right through the match. There was no diminishing the excitement or sense of fulfillment at having won a competitive event like this, which brought together some of the best Asian clubs.

"It's a great victory," said Ittihad's American pro and Player of the Tournament Johnny Rhodes. "It's always been a tough tournament, and to win the way we did, makes it taste all that sweeter.

"We came here to play real hard, and though we were always fighting to stay in the match what mattered in the end was the way we hung in there and produced the goods when it mattered most."

On the final whistle the score was tantalisingly tied 94-94, pushing the match into five minutes extra-time. Given the tension that prevailed, someone had to give in. And though Ittihad initially showed signs of cracking when Ali Almagrabi fluffed an over-ambitious long-ranger at 98-99 and repeated the error from under the hoop with his side still training by two points, Andrius rose to the occasion as the final countdown began.

With just 60 seconds remaining he levelled at 101 and then after Al Rayan made a mess of their counter-attack, Rhodes set up the match-winner as the Qataris were falling all over themselves in a desperate bid to prevent the inevitable.

Rhodes, unquestionably the most talented and perceptive player on display in yesterday's final, took his time as the crowd rose to their feet with the clock running out. His perfect pass found Almagrabi, who quickly relayed the ball for Andrius to complete the formalities with a dramatic basket.

Ittihad were well served by Rhodes who top-scored with 33 points besides filling in as a key marker for Rayan's leading player Kristaan Iman. Rhodes was well supported by Nader Almowalld (20 points) and Lithuania's Andrius, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the second session and five in the decisive extra-time.

For Rayan U.S.-based pro Kristaan Iman top-scored with 34 points while lanky Yassen Ismail accounted for 23.

Earlier, in a play-off for third place Al Wahdah beat Hong Kong's Winling 93-79.
Dr. Ali Abdul Aziz Sheran was the chief guest and gave away the prizes to the winners. Sultan Saqr Al Suweidi, Secretary General of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports, also assisted in the prize presentation.