FIBA West Asia Super League Final 8:
Shahrdari beaten by Al Ula, fails to make its way to last four
Iranian club Shahrdari Gorgan missed out on a semifinal spot at the FIBA West Asia Super League Final 8 after suffering a 99-84 defeat against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ula Club in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon, on Thursday.
A second defeat in three outings saw 2024 bronze medalist Shahrdari finish third in Group B with four points – one behind Al Ula and two adrift of Lebanon’s Sagesse, which enjoyed a perfect run on home soil to advance.
Elijah Stewart erupted for 44 points and five rebounds to lead the Saudi side, particularly helping turn the game in his team’s favor late in the first quarter as Al Ula built enough momentum to eventually pull away.
It soon became a one-sided affair, with Al Ula cruising to a historic victory as the club became the first Saudi Arabian team to reach the semifinals of the pan-regional competition.
Mitch Creek came through with 17 points and seven rebounds, while David Michineau recorded a rare triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Ahmed Almukhtar also scored 12 points, including four three-pointers from six attempts.
Creek and Michineau helped Stewart erase Shahrdari’s five-point lead during the opening quarter through a 13-2 scoring run, punctuated by a Stewart three-pointer, to put Al Ula ahead 24-18 at the end of the period.
Almukhtar and Mo Alsuwailem then helped widen the gap to double digits, and Al Ula maintained its advantage until the final buzzer as Gorgan struggled to mount a serious comeback.
Creek pushed Al Ula’s lead to 20 points for the first time at 62-42 following a three-pointer with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter. The gap grew as large as 24 points twice later in the same period.
Jordan Stevens scored 22 points, albeit on 22 shots, to lead Gorgan, which failed to advance to the Final 8 semifinals for the second time in three appearances.
D’Angelo Harrison supplied 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Navid Rezaeifar added 13 points as the trio were the only Gorgan players to score in double figures in the defeat for coach Mehran Hatami.
“We lost the game, but the result didn’t show the level of the players. My team is way better than what they did today. But our opponent played better. We deserved to lose,” said the former Iran men’s national team head coach.