The Sharjah basketball team suffered a heavy defeat to the host and champion Arab club, Kuwait SC, with a score of 115-81 in a match held yesterday at the Sheikh Saad Abdullah Sports Hall. This match concluded the second group stage of the West Asia Super League in the Gulf region. The main reasons for Kuwait's superiority were fast-break attacks, effective use of 'second-chance' points from offensive rebounds, a clear advantage in shooting percentages, the performance of professional players, and the contribution of the bench players. Sharjah remained in third place with 4 points, sharing the tally with Qatar's Al-Arabi, but holds the advantage in the head-to-head record after a 91-89 victory. Here are the five factors that gave Kuwait the upper hand and contributed to Sharjah's loss: Fast-break attacks. The Kuwaiti team relied on fast breaks and a quick transition from defense to offense after steals, allowing them to score 25 points, including 9 from three-pointers. In contrast, Sharjah only managed 7 points from fast breaks, including just one three-pointer. Second-chance opportunities. Kuwait's players capitalized on Sharjah's weakness under their own basket to get 'second-chance' points from offensive rebounds, scoring 32 points from 16 attempts. Sharjah's players, however, only managed 14 points from 7 similar opportunities. Shooting percentages. The success rate for two-pointers was close for both teams: 57.8% for Kuwait and 55.1% for Sharjah. However, Kuwait's advantage was clear in three-point shooting, with a success rate of nearly 40%, compared to Sharjah's significantly lower 16.7%. Superiority of professional players. Kuwait's three professionals—Frenchman Geoffrey Louvrenie and Americans Charlie Moore and Jamal Jones—played a crucial role, scoring a combined 81 out of 115 points. In contrast, Sharjah's professionals, American Glenn Robinson and British Kavell Williams, scored only 50 points. Bench players' contribution. Kuwait's bench players, who had gained experience from the Arab Clubs Championship, helped distribute the physical load on the starters and contributed 14 points. Meanwhile, Sharjah's bench failed to provide similar support during critical moments of the game.
