Shabab Al Ahli take top spot from Sharjah; Al Nasr win the derby
A 93-87 home win over Sharjah in round seven of the second half sent Shabab Al Ahli to the summit.
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai snatched a 93-87 win over visitors Sharjah in round seven of the second half of the UAE men's general basketball league.
The Dubai side took the first, second and fourth quarters 20-18, 23-17 and 33-27, with Sharjah winning only the third.
The result took Shabab Al Ahli level at the top on 31 points, the same as Sharjah, with the head-to-head advantage going to Shabab Al Ahli.
It is Sharjah's first league defeat after 14 matches unbeaten, ending a long run of wins.
A derby for Al Nasr
In the same round Al Nasr beat neighbours Al Wasl 113-80. In a pattern similar to the Shabab Al Ahli–Sharjah match, the first, second and fourth quarters went to Al Nasr, 32-20, 34-15 and 26-23, with Al Wasl taking the third 22-21.
The win consolidated Al Nasr's third place on 29 points, while Al Wasl, despite the defeat, remained fifth on 24.
Another Al Bataeh win
Al Bataeh continued their league run with an 87-65 win over Al Jazira, having settled the first and second quarters comfortably at 28-12 and 18-11; Al Jazira came back to win the third and fourth, but the match went to Al Bataeh.
Al Bataeh held fourth on 29 points, while Al Jazira slipped to eighth on 20.
Bani Yas back to winning ways
Round seven also saw Bani Yas correct course and return to winning ways with an 81-63 win over Al Ain.
The first and second quarters went to Bani Yas 25-19 and 25-9, the third was tied, and Al Ain took the last 21-10.
Bani Yas moved to 23 points in sixth, while Al Ain remained bottom of the league on 16.
Al Dhafra and the fight at the bottom
Al Dhafra returned to winning ways by beating Al Wahda 79-58, settling the first, third and fourth quarters 19-17, 19-15 and 27-6, with Al Wahda taking the second 20-14.
The win lifted Al Dhafra to seventh on 21 points, while Al Wahda remained ninth on 19.
