BASKETBALL – Bahrain secured their spot last night in the second round of pre-qualifying for the Fiba Asia Cup 2029.
The kingdom’s senior men’s basketball national team outplayed their counterparts from Nepal 105-71 for their third successive victory in Group A in this opening phase of qualification, being played at Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai, the UAE.
The Bahrainis were in control for the entire contest and led by as many as 38 points.
They therefore maintained their unbeaten record so far with one game to play in the Emirates, which will be tonight at 7pm, Bahrain time, against Kuwait.
With yesterday’s result, the nationals ensured they will finish amongst the top three teams in their pool, which earns them their spot in the next stage of the pre-qualifiers.
“For three quarters we were very good, very serious, but in the fourth we didn’t play defence at all, which is normal, but I don’t like this attitude and it is something we need to work on,” Bahrain head coach Slobodan Subotic said during his post-game Press conference. “But, in the end, it is very important that we have three wins and we are qualified for the next round. I am very happy for the team.”
The Bahrainis are part of an 18-nation field that has been divided into four groups – being hosted at separate locations – in this ongoing first round of pre-qualifying.
Only 12 squads – the top three from each – advance to round two, to be played in November and December later this year.
The top four nations from the two second-round groups will then make it to the Fiba Asia Cup 2029 qualifiers, joining the 16 teams that played in the previous edition of the Fiba Asia Cup in 2025, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Also advancing alongside Bahrain are the UAE and Kuwait.
The Emiratis defeated Oman 115-89 in yesterday’s other Group A fixture to complete their campaign and provisionally top the division standings.
In Bahrain’s win yesterday, they used a dominant second quarter where they held Nepal to single digits to take full control of the game.
The nationals outscored their opponents 26-8 to turn a 25-14 lead at the end of the opening period to a commanding 51-22 cushion at the break.
The Bahrainis continued to pile on the pressure in the third, where they extended their advantage to 74-40 heading into the final frame.
There, a three-pointer by Ali Hussain with three minutes to play gave them their biggest lead of the evening at 99-61, and they cruised to the final buzzer.
Arab youth men’s Most Valuable Player Somto Patrick Onoduenyi top scored for the nationals with 22 points while also grabbing 16 rebounds.
Ahmed Bindayneh chipped in with 20 points, including an impressive five triples, while Hussain added 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, while also firing in five times from beyond the arc.
JaKarr Sampson scored 10 as Bahrain’s fourth player in double figures in just nine minutes of action.
Nischal Maharjan paced Nepal with a game-high 29 points.
They lost their third straight game and today face off with Oman, who are also winless in Dubai heading into today’s concluding day of action.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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