Samaheej set the tone immediately and never gave ISSA Town enough air to complete the comeback, rolling to an 88-71 win in Premier League action on February 13, 2026. The visitors won three of the four quarters and turned an early double-digit cushion into a comfortable finish.
Game flow: Samaheej’s early punch decided the terms
The decisive stretch came right out of the gate. Samaheej held ISSA Town to just 8 points in the first quarter while scoring 21, creating a 13-point lead that shaped the rest of the night.
ISSA Town responded with its best offensive quarter in the second, putting up 24 points to Samaheej’s 22 and trimming the halftime margin to 43-32. The home side carried that momentum into the third, again winning the period (22-19) to cut the deficit to 62-54 heading to the fourth.
But every time the game threatened to tilt, Samaheej had a counter. The visitors’ 26-point fourth quarter—paired with a 17-point frame from ISSA Town—re-established control and turned a single-digit game into an 88-71 final.
Turning points
1) The first-quarter gap
ISSA Town’s 8-point opening quarter put them in chase mode for nearly the entire game. Even with two quarters won after that, the early hole forced them to play from behind and left little margin for error late.
2) The closing quarter
Down eight entering the fourth (62-54), ISSA Town needed a clean, pressure-tested finish. Instead, Samaheej delivered its best offensive quarter of the night (26), stretching the margin and removing late-game volatility.
What it means going forward
For Samaheej, the win reinforces a profile that can travel: defend early, manage the middle quarters, and close with pace. They improve to 6-4, backing up recent momentum indicated by their WLLWW form.
For ISSA Town, now 2-8, the path is clearer: the team’s ability to win the second and third quarters showed there’s a workable level when they’re organized, but the first-quarter output and the fourth-quarter fade continue to punish them. With a LWWLL form line and another loss, the priority becomes stringing together complete starts and finishes—because the middle alone isn’t enough.
By the numbers
Quarter scores: Samaheej 21-22-19-26 (88) | ISSA Town 8-24-22-17 (71)
Key margin: Samaheej +13 in the first quarter; Samaheej +9 in the fourth quarter