Kazma player passes the ball as an opponent looks on.

JEDDAH, Jan 6: Kazma Club, also known as “Al-Safeer” (The Ambassador), saw its chances in the West Asian Basketball League (Gulf Super League) suffer a setback after a narrow 84-86 defeat to Saudi side Al-Ittihad in the fifth round of Group A in Jeddah. The loss left Kazma in fourth place with 6 points, while Al-Ittihad maintained their top spot with 9 points.

The match was closely contested through all four quarters. Al-Ittihad led 23-19 after the first quarter, while Kazma leveled the score 46-42 by halftime. Al-Ittihad extended its lead in the third quarter to 68-60, and despite Kazma closing the gap to 82-84 in the final minutes, the team suffered its fourth defeat, significantly hurting its hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Key performers for Kazma included Hussein Al-Khabaz with 14 points, Ahmed Al-Balushi with 21, Phil Green (USA) with 14, and Strahinja Metrovic (Serbia) with 30 points. For Al-Ittihad, Elijah Thomas (USA) scored 25 points, Eric Neal (USA) 18, and Muthanna Al-Marwani added 12 points.

In local league action, Al-Qurain recorded a convincing 97-43 victory over Al-Sahel, with American import Waverly Austin contributing 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The win raised Al-Qurain’s total to 16 points, reclaiming fourth place from Al-Sulaibikhat and strengthening their chances of reaching the semi-finals. Al-Sahel, meanwhile, suffered its ninth defeat, remaining seventh with 11 points.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff