Al Ula defeated Kuwait Club 88-58 on January 7 in the FIBA West Asia Super League Gulf League Group One match at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz arena in Riyadh, moving to the top of the standings with eight points while the visitors placed second on point differential. Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates stood third with six points and Al Arabi of Qatar occupied fourth with five points after the result, according to Arab Times. Kuwait Club, the reigning Arab champion, was unable to counter the hosts’ momentum after falling behind early in the contest.
Arab Times reported that Al Ula controlled the game from the initial tipoff and established a 15-point advantage by the end of the first quarter. The Saudi team extended that edge to 40-26 by halftime and then pushed the lead to 70-41 after the third period before closing out the match. Kuwait Club’s three-point shooting, typically a key element of its offense, did not produce expected results and no significant rally developed in the second half.
Geoffrey Lauvergne led Kuwait Club in scoring with 18 points while Charlie Moore added 17 points in the loss, Arab Times said. Alexander Al-Ghais contributed eight points for the team and Jamal Jones recorded zero points despite more than 26 minutes on the court. The report did not provide individual scoring details for the Al Ula players.
The standings following the January 7 match had Al Ula in first place with eight points, Arab Times reported. Kuwait Club held second position while Sharjah and Al Arabi rounded out the group. This phase of the competition includes clubs from across the Gulf region competing for advancement spots.
FIBA’s official records show that Kuwait Club captured the Gulf League title in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Al Ula entered the 2025-26 edition as a debutant alongside other new participants and has performed strongly enough to claim the group lead after this victory. The league forms part of the broader West Asia Super League structure organized by FIBA.
The top four teams from the Gulf zone advance to the Final Eight phase where the overall champion and runner-up secure qualification to the Basketball Champions League Asia, according to FIBA documentation. Multiple matches remain in the group stage for all involved teams. Kuwait Club will look to rebound in its subsequent fixtures within the 2025-26 calendar.
