by Danotzki Santos
Doha: Al Arabi tamed Qatar Sports Club 99-87 in the Group 2 match of the Emir Cup basketball at the Al Gharafa Indoor Arena.
Al Arabi were in control at the onset finishing the first period ahead at 27-23 and leading the half at 49-43.
Jalloh Abdullah spearheaded a 7-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the third period to peg a 57-43 advantage for the white shirts.
Leslie would however lead a Qatar SC 9-1 counter-offensive to cut the lead at 52-58, midway in the third stage.
Mathew Rogers hit a long bomb from the left flank to ignite a 5-0 Arabi spurt but Leslie and the black shirts kept surging back to stay in contention at 63-59.
Al Arabi sped up the tempo and went on a 13-4 finishing run for a 76-63 cushion going into the final stage of the match. Eugene Moliva scattered 6 quick markers and Augustin Okuson added a slam to trim Arabi’s lead at 76-71 early in the fourth.
Moliva turned in 5 more points in the next possessions as Qatar SC inched closer at 79-76 until Jalloh and William Byrd doused the attack with a 9-2 assault to make a double-digit advantage, 88-78, for Al Arabi going into the 2 minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan had an easy time against Al Wakra earlier in the evening, winning 98-71 to fortify their hold of top spot in Group 2 with 3 straight wins in as many outings. The Heir Apparent champions coasted to victory versus the lethargic white shirts, leading all the way 16-14, 38-32 and 62-50 en route to the 27-point margin at the end of the match. THE PENINSULA
