BASKETBALL – Bahrain signed off last night from the first round of pre-qualifiers for the Fiba Asia Cup 2029 with an impressive undefeated record.
The kingdom’s senior men’s basketball national team wrapped up their campaign with a resounding 95-67 victory against Kuwait yesterday at Sheikh Saaed bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai, the UAE.
It was their fourth win in as many contests in Group A of pre-qualification, which they ended in first place on their five-nation table.
They advanced to the second round alongside the Kuwaitis and host Emiratis, while Oman and Nepal were eliminated.
The Bahrainis’ 28-point triumph yesterday added to their 34-point win against Nepal, a three-point nail-biter against the UAE, and their opening 44-point rout of Oman.
Bahrain are part of an 18-nation field that has been divided into four groups – being hosted at separate locations – for the opening phase of pre-qualifying.
Only 12 squads – the top three from each – advanced to round two, which is to be played in November and December later this year.
Making it through from Group B were Palestine, Kazakhstan, and Sri Lanka. Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia advanced from Group C, while Thailand, Mongolia, and Fiji marched forward from Group D.
In the second round, the 12 teams are to be divided into two groups, with the top four from each making it to the Fiba Asia Cup 2029 qualifiers.
There, they will join the 16 nations that competed in the previous edition of the Fiba Asia Cup, held last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In the Bahrainis’ triumph last night, they came alive midway through the first quarter and turned a slim deficit to a 19-11 lead heading into the second.
They then began to assert themselves against their opponents, powering ahead by double digits for the first time on an Ahmed Salman three-pointer and maintaining a comfortable gap until the interval, when they built a 45-30 cushion.
Bahrain stayed in command throughout the third period, where they extended their advantage to 69-48 with only the final frame to play.
The Bahrainis did not let up the rest of the way, and their final winning margin of 28 points was also the biggest gap of the night between the two teams.
Salman was one of three players for the kingdom’s squad to score 20 points or more.
The Bahraini court general finished with 21 markers, which included an impressive five triples.
Teammates Mustafa Hussain and JaKarr Sampson added 20 apiece, with Hussain also contributing four three-pointers and six assists and Sampson taking down 16 rebounds.
Mohammed Buallay chipped in with 12 points in their win while Mohammed Juma’a had 11.
Sayed Akbar paced Kuwait with 18 points while Hamad Hasan added 16.
Following the upcoming second round of pre-qualification, eight teams will go through to form a field of 24 in the Fiba Asia Cup 2029 qualifiers, where games are to be played in November of 2027 and in February and November of 2028.
The 16 countries Bahrain are hoping to join in this stage are 2025 champions Australia, China, Iran, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, the Philippines, Lebanon, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Guam, Qatar, Iraq, India, and Syria.
They will be vying for 16 berths in the Fiba Asia Cup 2029.
With the completion of the first pre-qualifying round for the Fiba Asia Cup 2029, the kingdom’s senior men’s cagers will now shift their focus to the men’s basketball tournament at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, which tips off on September 10.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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