BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S Manama were handed a third successive defeat yesterday in the 37th Arab Basketball Championship for Men’s Clubs, currently being played in Dubai, the UAE.
The kingdom’s representatives went down fighting against Kuwait SC 65-76 at Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Indoor Hall.
The loss followed their previous two setbacks against Al Ahly Tripoli from Libya and Antonin Sportif from Lebanon, ending their campaign in Group B of the preliminary round with a winless record.
Manama were in front at the half with a slim 33-32 advantage, but the Kuwaitis came to life with a 28-16 third quarter, which put them in control for the remainder of the contest. Kuwait led by as many as 15 points early in the final frame, and although Manama got to within six late on, they came no closer.
Court general Ahmed Salman tried to carry the Bahrainis with 22 points, while American import Carl Jones added 12 and Hasan Nowrooz 11, both off the bench. Daniel Hamilton, also from the US, had a forgettable outing, going scoreless in 32 minutes. He shot 0-13 from the field, which included nine three-point attempts, but contributed eight rebounds and nine assists.
Jamal Jones paced Kuwait with 19 points, while Keyshawn Feaze added 16 and Mohammed Adnan Hassan had 14.
Following the completion of the group phase, all 16 teams in the tournament now move on to the opening knockout stage, where Manama’s opponents are to be determined. The eight match-ups will be played tomorrow and Thursday, and they will set up the quarter-finalists for Saturday.
The semi-finals follow the next day, and then the gold and bronze medal games will be on Monday next week, the competition’s concluding day.
Group A in the preliminaries featured home club Al Nasr of the UAE, Homs Al Fida from Syria, Al Shaab Hadramaut from Yemen, and Al Qadsia of Kuwait. Group C was composed of Al Arabi of Qatar, Kazma of Kuwait, Al Seeb of Oman, and Al Mina from Yemen. Group D comprised Al Hikma from Lebanon, Al Wahda SC from Syria, Al Basher from Oman, and Al Rayyan of Qatar.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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