Doha, October 15 (QNA) - Al Rayyan won the first edition of the Qatar Basketball Super Cup, the opening match of the 2025-2026 season, after defeating Al Sadd 97-72 in the final held at the Lusail Indoor Multipurpose Hall.
The scores of the four periods of the match were 36-23, 63-41, 83-53, and 97-72 in favor of Al Rayyan.
Al Rayyan delivered a distinguished performance and imposed their style early on, leading by 13 points in the first period after an organized offensive performance that relied on quick transitions and solid defense. Al Rayyan continued their dominance in the second period and managed to secure the victory, ending both periods of the first half with a 22-point lead.
In the second half, Al Rayyan dominated the match, relying on time-wasting in the fourth period, capitalizing on the large 30-point difference. This enabled Al Sadd to be more effective, winning the fourth period in their favor. However, this wasn't enough to reduce the significant gap, and the match ended in a comfortable victory for Al Rayyan.
Roland Freimanis emerged as the best player of the match for Al Rayyan, scoring 27 points, recovering 12 balls, and providing eight assists. Deng Deng Adele was Al Sadd's top scorer with 20 points.
Al Rayyan earned their first historic title in the Super Cup, which the Qatar basketball Federation introduced this season as part of its vision to develop the local competition system and raise the technical readiness of clubs before the start of the season.
It also aims to enhance competitiveness among teams and enrich the local tournament calendar with a new event that will add more excitement and enthusiasm to the start of the sports season.
In the semi-finals of the four-team competition, Al Rayyan overcame Al Ahli with a resounding 101-74 victory after a hard-fought match dominated by Al Rayyan players.
Al Sadd defeated Al Arabi in the second semi-final match, 90-85, after a spirited contest from both teams.
The Super Cup, which opens each season, brings together the champion and runner-up of HH the Amir's Cup, as well as the champion and runner-up of the previous season's Qatar Premier League. This season, Al Rayyan, HH the Amir's Cup champion and runner-up of the Qatar Premier League, and Al Arabi, the Qatar Premier League champion and runner-up of the Qatar Premier League, participated in the competition. Al Sadd and Al Ahli, who finished third and fourth in the Qatar Premier League, also participated. (QNA)