Twice defending champions Mahram staved off a 10-point deficit, kept their noses ahead for the remainder of the game and then were forced to go into Overtime before sealing off a 105-96 win in Game 5 of the 2011 Iranian Super League Finals against Zob Ahan on Monday.
Senegalese import Cheikh Samb scored a game-high 35 points and pulled down a colossal 23 rebounds to lead Mahram charge to their third successive Iranian Super League title, this time under coach Mehran Shahintab. Talismanic superstar Samad Nikkhah Bahrami was the only player to play the entire game and returned 34 points and 7 rebounds. Latvian Kaspars Kambala contributed 15 points and American Chris Williams a dozen. Carlos Powell’s 26 points led Zob Ahan.
Hamed Afagh, who will don Mahram colors in the 22nd FIBA Asia Champions Cup had 17 points and Oshin Sahakian 11 points. Sahakian also pulled down 19 rebounds. Having fought on even keel, Zob managed to take the biggest lead any team had in the game, when Chris Monroe’s long ranger put the Esfahan team 10 points ahead early in the fourth quarter (70-60). But that was exactly what Mahram needed to spur them.
Bahrami scored twice on the paint, and twice from the foul-line to clip Zob’s lead. And Samb complemented his drive in the lane with a slam dunk to put Mahram back on par (70-70).The game went into a veritable exchange of intense plays after that, just like it had before that, as Powell converted a free-throw and sank from close range to force the Overtime.
The extended period too promised similar action, when Karen Ahmadian and Sahakian fired in back-to-back three-pointers to level the score at 95, after Samb had struck once on the paint and once from the perimeter. But as things would turn out, that initial energy from Zob fizzled out. For, thereafter, for the next 3 minutes or so, Zob’s only success came via a Powell free-throw.
Mahram, meanwhile went about their business Samad and Samb found support from Kambala to steer their team to triumph. Zob had won Game 3 (89-76) on Friday and 4 (73-71) win a day later to force Game 5 after Mahram had won 101-76 in Game 1 last Monday and 95-92 in Game 2 the following day.
Source: FIBA Asia