MUHARRAQ moved one victory away from clinching this year’s title in the Zain Bahrain Basketball League after defeating a battling Riffa 72-67 last night in Game Two of their best-of-five championship series.
American import Kevin Murphy and Bahraini court general Ahmed Hassan Aldurazi both connected on a pair of pressure-packed free-throws in the final six seconds to help Muharraq escape with the win and the commanding 2-0 finals lead.
Prior to those baskets, Riffa’s Shawne Williams missed a golden opportunity to tie the proceedings after making just one of two charity shots with 25 seconds remaining.
Riffa had done well to fight back in the game up until that point. They were down by as many as 13 in the final quarter but rallied in just five minutes to almost steal the win from their rivals.
Muharraq will now be looking to close out the championship series when the two teams meet again in Game Three on Thursday night. It is scheduled for a 7pm tip-off and it will also be held at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Um Al Hassam.
Muharraq are gunning for their first league title since 2012 and third overall. Riffa, on the other hand, hope to extend the series to a fourth game as they battle to secure their maiden championship.
Leading the way for Muharraq last night were Murphy and countryman Mike Harris. They combined for 50 points, with Murphy top scoring with 26. Harris had an impressive “20-20” outing with 24 points and 20 rebounds, while also registering four blocked shots.
Aldurazi contributed 18 markers including four three-pointers.
Williams paced Riffa in the loss with a game-high 29 points. He also had 11 rebounds in the contest. Versatile Bahraini forward Mohammed Kuwayed added 17 but made only eight of his 25 field goal attempts. Williams’s American frontcourt mate Arinze Onuaku finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Lead
Riffa led 18-14 at the end of the first period but Muharraq found their groove in the second and forged a 32-all tie at the half-time interval.
In the third, Riffa struggled to score and Muharraq went on a 14-3 run capped by an Aldurazi triple to turn a slim 37-36 advantage to a 51-39 cushion. Riffa got back to within six before the end of the quarter, but then Aldurazi buried another basket from beyond the arc to make it 54-45 heading into the fourth.
In the last canto, a Aldurazi once again connected from long range for a 66-53 lead with only five minutes left. But Riffa replied with a furious 10-0 run to get back to within three with just over a minute-and-a-half remaining.
A basket from Murphy and then a three-pointer from Williams made it 68-66, setting the stage for Williams’s crucial split from the free-throw line and bringing them to within one point, but no closer.