BEIRUT: Champville took a 1-0 lead in their WABA League quarterfinal tie with Iranian side Petrochimi Monday, winning 79-66 away from home.

Champville – who have lost only one game so far this season, against Iranian giants Mahram in the final game of the WABA League preliminary round – have put themselves in the driving seat to qualify for the semifinals.

They now have the relatively simple task of dispatching Petrochimi in Dik al-Mehdi in two weeks time to win the best of three series.

Despite a cagey start to the game, Champville were able to pull away in the second half before coasting home for an easy win. The first half was a much more different affair, with both teams finding points hard to come by.

A tight first quarter ended at a deadlock at 18-18.

In the second quarter Champville shut down a Petrochimi attack although they also struggled to score at the other end of the court.

The host team could only muster six in the second quarter while Champville only posted 11, but it was enough to give the Lebanese league leaders the breathing space they needed to close out the win.

With the two sides going into halftime at 29-24, Champville then broke out in the third quarter thanks to Lebanese-American center Sam Hoskin, who finished with 29 points, and talisman Fadi al-Khatib, who finished with 25 points.

After opening a six-point lead early in the half, Champville broke out to an 11-point advantage at 44-33. Champville continued to dominate, moving into an 18-point lead at 57-39 before Petrochimi put in a rally late in the third quarter to cut the lead back down to 11.

The two sides went into the final quarter at 59-48. Petrochimi kept their momentum early in the fourth quarter, closing the deficit to 59-53 before Champville went on a 7-2 run to essentially seal up the win. At 66-55, Champville stayed in control to register a crucial win.

On Tuesday, WABA League holders Riyadi get their knockout campaign under way when they play Game 1 of the quarterfinal stage against Iraqi side Duhok in Iraq.

With Duhok one of the whipping boys of the preliminary round, Asian champions Riyadi are expected to win comfortably.