MUSTAFA Hussain erupted for 56 points in just 26 minutes last night as Bahrain were crowned champions of the Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) Qualifier for the 2020 Fiba U18 Asian Championship.
Mustafa put on an extraordinary display of perimeter shooting, firing in 12 three-pointers in leading the Bahrainis to a 112-49 victory over the UAE.
It was their final game of the week-long competition, which came to a close at the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) arena in Um Al Hassam. The hosts finished with an undefeated record in five games.
They headed into last night’s contest having already secured their berth in next year’s Asian championship, but still were determined to put on a show.
Saudi Arabia also qualified after defeating Kuwait 65-46 in their game yesterday. The Saudis finished the tournament as the silver-medallists while the Kuwaitis had to settle for bronze.
Elsewhere yesterday, Qatar beat Oman 66-57 in a non-bearing fixture.
After Bahrain’s win, the awarding ceremony took place. BBA president Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Youth and Sports Affairs minister Aymen Tawfiq Almoayed were on hand to present the top three teams their respective medals. Others in attendance were BBA vice-president Nasser Al Qaseer and a number of high-ranking BBA and sports officials.
The Bahrainis put a stamp on their dominance in the GBA qualifier with yesterday’s 63-point win. It gave them a mind-boggling 331-point differential in their five outings, which made for a 66-point average winning margin.
They were in control against the Emiratis from the very tip-off, finishing the first quarter already with a virtually insurmountable 40-4 lead. Mustafa scored 22 in the period to get off to a hot start.
The Bahrainis cooled off in the second but still extended the gap to 62-20 at the half, and then nearly reached the 100-point mark after three quarters with a 98-37 advantage.
The nationals were again stifling defensively, forcing the UAE to 34 turnovers, which led to 46 points. The Bahrainis also had 54 of their total output on the fast-break, while scoring 60 points in the paint.
Bahrain finished with 15 three-pointers in the game fuelled by Mustafa’s dozen, which helped them shoot with an efficient 51 per cent clip from the field.
Mustafa also contributed seven rebounds and four steals in the win. Fellow-rising star Muzamil Ameer had his own impressive performance, contributing 21 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and registering four steals and two blocks. Salman Ahmed Alkaabi was the Bahrainis’ only other player in double-figures with 11.
Abdullah Alyaarbi scored 21 while Abdulaziz Ahmad had 13 to lead the Emiratis, who finished the tournament with a winless record.
Meanwhile, Saudi claimed their crucial victory over Kuwait to decide the other team that qualified for the Asian championship.
A strong second period that turned their 13-9 first-quarter lead to a 26-13 advantage at the half proved crucial for the Saudis, as the Kuwaitis never recovered.
Osama Al Zahrani top scored for the winners with 22 points, while Abdulrahman Fallatah added 12. Sahou Alshammari added 17 for Kuwait.
In Qatar’s win, they raced ahead 20-9 after the opening period and did enough to hold on to their lead.
Mahmoud Darwish led their team with 26 points and 17 rebounds while Oman’s Zakariya Al Wahaibi and Mundhir Al Mundhir each finished with 13.