AL ETTIHAD advanced to the semi-finals of the Khaifa bin Salman Cup last night following an 85-59 victory over Isa Town at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.
After a sluggish first half, the victors came alive in the final two quarters when they turned a close game wide open.
Etttihad held a slim two-point lead, 13-11, at the end of the first quarter, but at the half found themselves a point down, 39-40. But a third quarter where they outscored their rivals by 11, 26-15, they took a commanding lead and never looked back.
Ettihad leg by as many as 26 points the the rest of the way.
American professional Quinton Doggett top scored for the victors with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Ettihad enjoyed a balanced attack from the rest of the team, with Hassan Fahad scoring 14 points and taking down 10 rebounds.
Rebounds
Sayed Hashim Wedaei came off the bench and contributed 13 points, while Sayed Mohammed Hameed and Ahmed Ghanim finished with 11 points apiece. Ghanim also had 10 rebounds and three steals.
For Isa Town, Mahmood Aziz had 18 points including four-for-four three-pointers. He also had eight rebounds before fouling out. Mansoor Jaber added 15 in the losing effort.
With the result, Ettihad now moves on to the final four on the left side of the tournament bracket. They will next face the winner of the massive match-up between reigning Cup holders Muharraq and dangerous contenders Al Ahli, which is scheduled for Sunday at 7.30pm.
The semi-final on the right side of the tournament bracket is between Manama and Riffa, which has yet to be scheduled by the Bahrain Basketball Association.