Narcellius Soyebo had 29 points, eight assists and five steals as Al Arabi posted an 84-78  victory over Al Khor in the Qatar Basketball League last evening.
Al Khor got off to a fast start and led 13-8 after the first five minutes, but Al Arabi came back strongly and took control of the match thereafter to complete the job with some degree of comfort.
Edward O’Brien also excelled for Al Arabi with 29 points but none of the other players could get into the double digits.
After overtaking Al Khor and leading 25-20 after the first quarter, Al Arabi raised their game in the second period for a 40-27 lead to build the foundations for their win. In what proved to be a decisive last five-minute period in the second quarter, Al Khor could only manage one point.
Al Arabi’s superior bench strength also had a hand in their victory, with their substitutes scoring nine points, while Al Khor’s score in that department was zero.
Al Khor made a last-ditch effort in the final quarter when they scored 26 points but by then it was too late for them.
For Al Khor, Ronald Rembert scored a match-high 33 points, with 18 of them coming from the three-point mark. Charles Abouo also excelled for the losers with 24 points.
In another match, Al Rayyan overcame a first quarter deficit to defeat Al Wakrah 95-84, with Dominic Davon excelling with 23 points and 12 assists.
Al Wakrah thought they had things under control when they posted a 27-15 lead in the first 10 minutes, but Al Rayyan wore them down to sneak a 44-42 advantage in the second quarter.
From thereon Al Rayyan continued to build on their advantage to win by nine points in the end.
Alban Ngombo with 21 points, including 12 from the three-point mark, also made a significant contribution for the winners, with Quintin Immanuel and Salem Abdulla chipping in with 16 and 14 respectively.
For Al Wakrah, Adamu Saaka top-scored with 28, while Harold Boney Watson and Emir Mujkic scored 18 and 17, respectively.