BASKETBALL – SUBAH Hussain buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 16.0 seconds remaining to help lift Bahrain’s Manama to a stunning 75-70 victory over Al Qadsia of Kuwait yesterday in the 37th Arab Basketball Championship for Men’s Clubs, currently being played in Dubai, the UAE.
After losing all three of their games in the tournament’s preliminary round, the Bahrainis headed into yesterday’s round-of-16 clash as underdogs, but they stepped up and are now through to the quarter-finals.
Hussain’s end-game heroics came on a left corner shot off an assist from teammate Mohammed Buallay.
Free-throws
Earlier, three straight free-throws from Manama’s Imran Hassan Ali gave them a slim 70-69 advantage with 48.5 seconds remaining, but Jomaro Brown tied it on Qadsia’s next possession with a split from the charity stripe.
That set the stage for Hussain’s decisive basket, and after the Kuwaitis misfired on the other end, Hasan Nowrooz was fouled with 5.2s to play for two free-throws to peg the final score.
Manama’s sequence in the game’s closing moments capped a sensational comeback from the kingdom’s representatives, who dug themselves out of a huge hole in the first quarter, where they scored just four points and gave up 22.
A strong second period narrowed the gap and they finally took their first lead in the third. They trailed heading into the final frame but stayed within striking distance until the last seconds.
Nowrooz finished as Manama’s leading scorer with 22 points off the bench, including four three-pointers. Ahmed Salman added 15 while Ali scored 11. Buallay and new import Carl Jones had nine points apiece, while Hussain’s crucial three-pointer was one of just two baskets he made in the game, finishing with six points.
Brown paced Qadsia with 19 in the loss, while Brandon Dominick and Sayed Abdulmohsen Mortada finished with 15 each.
After falling behind 4-22 in the opening quarter, Manama had a 24-8 second to get within 28-30 at the break. Buallay then had a driving lay-up to end the third to send them into the final frame down just 47-51. There, they exchanged leads multiple times until Hussain’s triple put them in front for good.
Manama are now through to the elite eight, where their opponents are to be determined. The quarters are scheduled for Saturday at Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Indoor Hall.
The tournament’s round of 16 continues today. After Saturday’s contests, the semi-finals will take place on Sunday, paving the way for the gold and bronze medal games on Monday next week, the competition’s concluding day.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))