Piston Direction for AF Aluminium 200cc Kit for Smallblock

I bought an aluminium 200cc kit with an Asso piston for a smallblock engine a few years back and am just getting around to installing it. I thought the arrow on the piston was meant to face the exhaust port but the gap in one of the piston ring is across the carb intake and the piston got stuck when I tried to instal it. Have I got the piston the wrong way around?