Al Riyadi wins Lebanese Division A

Al Riyadi came back from a losing position on the road to defeat Sagesse 50-57 to clinch the Lebanese Division A title in Game 6 of the finals. The victory meant the Beirut club defeated its city based rival 4-2 in the series to clinch its 24th Division A trophy, but its first since 2011. The powerhouse of Lebanese Basketball stormed back from a big losing deficit after the first quarter to triumph by 7 points.

Sagesse got off to the perfect start as the club looked to tie the series and send it to a decider; the hosts took a 12 point lead to win the first quarter 19-7. That was as good as it got for the home team though as Al Riyadi started to claw back the deficit, beginning with a tight low scoring second frame which the visitors won 10-11 (28-18 at halftime). In the third stanza the away team found a good balance between defence and offence to win the third 11-19 and cut the deficit to 20 points (39-37). The low scoring game was capped in a fourth quarter which Al Riyadi swamped the hosts 10-20 to seal the win and the title.

Ahmad Ismail put in a double-double display for the champions, collecting 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Jean Abel Nour scored 12 points and collected 6 boards.

A huge effort on the glass for Sagesse saw Chris Daniels grab 17 rebounds, while Julian Khazzouh had a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds.