BAHRAIN used a dominant fourth-quarter performance to pull away from rivals Algeria last night in a surprising 99-68 rout in the 23rd Arab Men’s Basketball Championship in Cairo.
The Bahrainis erupted for 44 points in the final period to turn a 55-57 deficit after three into a massive 31-point demolition.
The red-hot nationals claimed their second win in three tries and assured themselves of a place in the semi-final round.
It was a stunning ending to the contest for the Bahrainis, who did well to bounce back from a loss to hosts Egypt in their previous game after beating Saudi Arabia in their opener.
The Algerians suffered their second defeat although they already qualified for the semi-finals after ending the elimination round with a 2-2 win-loss record.
Bahrain and Algeria are expected to meet once again in the semi-finals. The pairings will be confirmed tonight.
In yesterday’s other fixture, the Egyptians outplayed the Saudis 74-58 as they completed the tournament’s opening stage unbeaten in four games.
The Saudis suffered their third defeat to go along with one win, and their qualification for the next stage will depend on the results of today’s game.
Today, Bahrain are back in action as they take on winless UAE in their last assignment of the eliminations. The game is scheduled for a 6pm tip-off. The final four is then scheduled for Thursday, with the bronze medal game and gold medal decider both on Friday.
In Bahrain’s win yesterday, the nationals and their Algerian counterparts were evenly matched in the first two quarters.
Their opponents had a slim 22-20 edge at the end of the first quarter, but the Bahrainis managed to tie the proceedings at 37-apiece at the half.
Closer
Things remained close in the third period before things completely changed in the fourth, when Bahrain raised their level and finished things strong. While firing in 44 markers, they also held the Algerians to just 11 points in the entire period.
Naturalised big man Wayne Chism was once again the top scorer for Bahrain, who are coached by Salman Ramadhan.
Chism finished the game with 28 points, including four three-pointers. Court general Ahmed Abdulaziz was on fire from beyond the arc, burying five triples en route to contributing 18 points in the win.
Versatile forward Mohammed Kuwayed chipped in with 13 points, while young big man Mohammed Ameer had 10. Maytham Jameel finished with eight, and both Ahmed Hassan and Mustafa Hussain had six points.