BAHRAIN had a miserable shooting performance last night in a 62-69 loss to Saudi Arabia in the Fiba Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers, being held in the kingdom at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.
The hosts trailed for most of the game and could not overcome an inspired effort from the Saudis, who claimed their second victory in as many outings.
The Bahrainis were a gut-wrenching 23-for-71 shooting from the field, including a shocking one-for-27 from the three-point line. The Saudis were not much better, going three-for-29 from beyond the arc, but they enjoyed a more efficient 21-for-32 showing on two-point field goals, compared to Bahrain’s 22 makes from 44 attempts.
Despite their horrendous marksmanship, the Bahrainis fought hard until the final buzzer, getting to within five points multiple times in the fourth quarter but no closer.
The Saudis had an answer each time, led by the quartet of guards Mathna Almarwani and Marzouq Almuwallad, forward Nassir Abojalas and six-foot, 11-inch giant Mohammad Alsuwailem. They alone combined for 60 of the Saudis’ 69-point output.
Almarwani top scored with 20 points while also grabbing nine rebounds. Abojalas and Alsuwailem each finished with 15, while Alsuwailem also took down 12 boards. Almuwallad had 10.
The Saudis took a quick 14-7 lead early on and were 17-14 ahead at the end of the first quarter. Bahrain turned things around in the second and enjoyed a brief 28-25 advantage on an Ahmed Hassan lay-up midway through the period. But then Abojalas scored eight straight points including back-to-back three-pointers to give Saudi a 33-30 advantage, which Bahrain would never recover from.
The worst was still to come for the hosts in the first five minutes of the second half. They started the third just one-for-11 from the field and faced a 33-47 deficit following an Almarwani lay-up. But with a packed crowd cheering them on, they managed to finish the quarter strong and an 8-2 run got them back to within 43-51 heading into the final canto.
The Bahrainis tried hard to grind their way back in the last 10 minutes of the game but could not deliver on their perimeter shooting and had trouble overcoming the towering presence of Alsuwailem.
Basket
An Ahmed Najaf basket made it 62-67 with only a minute-and-a-half left but Almuwallad would ice the game with a pair from the charity stripe.
Forward Ali Shukrallah and guards Ahmed Abdulaziz and Hassan put on brave individual performances for Bahrain, but it would not be enough.
Hassan finished with 17 points to lead the home side in the losing effort while Shukrallah had 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out. They were the only two Bahrainis in double figures.
Saudi will be looking to end their campaign in Bahrain on a positive note when they take on the UAE this evening at 5pm at the same venue. Bahrain will be hoping to bounce back when they face winless Oman at 7pm.
The Emiratis routed their Omani counterparts 92-53 in yesterday’s other game. Mohamad Albreiki scored 14 points to lead the winners. Ahmed Albreiki added 12 as the UAE won their first game after losing their opener to Bahrain last Friday.
The qualifiers in Bahrain will be followed by a second phase in Dubai, to be held in June. These two stages are a part of the new Fiba Competition System and Calendar. The Pre-Qualifiers will determine which teams will join the Main Qualification Process, beginning in November of next year, for the Fiba Asia Cup 2021.
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