BASKETBALL – MUHARRAQ claimed an exciting 68-57 victory over Al Ahli to level the Zain Bahrain Basketball League playoff series 2-2 at the Khalifa Sport City last night.
Ahli, who needed a victory last night to lift the trophy after leading 2-1 in the five-game series, got off to a lacklustre start last night, trailing their opponents by 11 points (7-18) in the opening quarter. They bounced back in the second quarter to reduce the margin to seven points at half-time (28-35).
Muharraq, however, managed to extend their lead by 17 points in the third quarter (23-13) and although Ahli attempted to stage a comeback in the final session (16-10), Muharraq had built a sizeable lead that they were able to hold onto to grab a crucial victory.
Mohammed Nasser paced Muharraq with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists and he was supported by Sir’Dominic Pointer with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. Wayne Chism, with nine points, was the other major contributor for the winners.
Dominique Sutton was the top scorer for Ahli with 19 points, 10 rebounds and one assist while Rayvonte Rice chipped in with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists and Hesham Sarhan added six points.
Muharraq won the opening game of the playoff series 101-87 but Ahli made a remarkable comeback by winning the second and third games 77-72 and 86-83.
The fifth and deciding game will be held on Saturday at Khalifa Sport City. The game is scheduled to begin at 7pm.
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