Al-Ittihad player dribbles past Al-Qadsiya player during the match.

JEDDAH, March 19: The Saudi Al-Ittihad Jeddah basketball team edged past Al-Qadsiya with a 74-71 victory in the second match of the West Asia Basketball League (Gulf region) semi-finals at Green Hall in Jeddah.

With this result, the battle for a spot in the final remains undecided, as the two teams will face off in a decisive third match on the 25th of this month at the Kuwait Basketball Association Hall in Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex. Al-Qadsiya had previously claimed victory in the first game of the playoff series.

Meanwhile, the UAE's Shabab Al-Ahli secured its place in the final after defeating Bahrain’s Al-Manama 88-81. This marked its second consecutive win in the series, following a dominant 104-91 victory in the first match in the UAE.

The clash between Al-Qadsiya and Al-Ittihad was a tightly contested affair, with the outcome hanging in the balance until the final seconds. Al-Qadsiya’s professional player, Cedric Henry, came close to forcing overtime but narrowly missed a three-pointer in the dying moments. The game saw momentum shifts, as Al-Ittihad dominated the first half with a 43-32 lead, while Al-Qadsiya fought back in the third and fourth quarters, outscoring its opponent 39-31.

For Al-Qadsiya, standout performances came from Al-Humaidi (15 points), Cedric Henry (19 points), and David Elono (12 points). On the other side, Al-Ittihad’s top scorers were Kyron DeShields (23 points), Mohammed Al-Marwani (15 points), and recent addition Tevin Mack (17 points).

In other league action, a single second-division match is scheduled for 9:45 PM today, as Al-Qurain takes on Al-Tadamon at Al-Ittihad Hall.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff