A RESURGENT Manama last night staved off elimination in a 68-58 victory over Al Hala to extend their Golden Square semi-final series to a decisive third game in the Zain Bahrain Basketball League.
Needing to win to force a decisive rubber match on Wednesday, Manama burst out of the gate to take a commanding lead early on and never looked back.
Former NBA lottery pick Nikoloz Tskitishvili led Manama with 17 points. The seven-foot Georgian professional buried three three-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds on the night.
Mohammed Hussain chipped in with 14 points, while Hassan Nowrooz came off the bench to score 13, nine of which came from beyond the arc.
Versatile forward Mohammed Kuwayed also had a good game for the defending league champions. He put in an all-around effort with six points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Seven-foot, two-inch American Loren Woods, another former NBA player, paced Al Hala with 19 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks while playing the full 40 minutes.
Hasan Gerashi and Hussain Salman added 15 and 10 points, respectively. They were Hala’s only other players to finish in double-figures in the loss.
Manama were guided in the contest by Bahraini coach Aqeel Milad, who has taken over as head coach following the exit of Serbian Dragan Raca. The change was made following the team’s stunning loss in the first game of their Golden Square head-to-head.
Manama built a comfortable 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter before stretching it to a commanding 38-24 advantage at the break.
Pressure
They continued to pile on the pressure in the third period, at the end of which Manama were up by 18, 54-36. Hala managed to cut the deficit to a respectable 10 points in the end during garbage time play.
Meanwhile, the other Golden Square semi-final series between Cup champions Muharraq and Al Ahli Club resumes tonight with game two at 7pm at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Isa Town.
Muharraq head into the contest hoping to close out the series with a sweep after drawing first blood with a narrow 83-79 win in a physical first game.
An Ahli win would send their series to a decisive winner-take-all clash on Thursday.
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