Jordan sauntered to an easy 85-44 win over Bahrain yesterday in their opening Group C game of the 2023 Fiba U16 Asian Championship at the Al Rayyan Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar.
Despite making a good start to the game by keeping the Jordanians in check for the first few minutes, Bahrain saw their opponents eke out a 13-point lead by the end of the first quarter with the scoreboard reading 23-10.
Jordan built on that momentum by adding another 22 points in the second quarter while Bahrain managed only six as the Jordanians skipped to the change room at half-time, leading by a massive 29 points, at 45-16.
Bahrain made a better fist of things in the third quarter, scoring 16 points while keeping Jordan down to 18 points but the gulf between the two teams’ scores had widened to 31 points by the time the fourth and final quarter began, with the scoreboard reading 63-32 in favour of the Jordanians.
And in the final quarter, Jordan racked up another 22 points, while Bahrain managed only 12, to wrap up a comprehensive win in their first match upon returning to the competition after 10 years.
Ali Mohsen Habib was the standout performer for Bahrain with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists while Omar Hijazi stole the show for Jordan with 18 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.
Sixteen teams, divided into four groups, are taking part in the championship which serves as a qualifier for the 2024 Fiba Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Turkey. New Zealand and South Korea are the other two teams in Bahrain’s group.
Bahrain will play South Korea today before taking on New Zealand in their last group match tomorrow.