Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sitting pretty on top; Palestine back to winning ways
MANAMA (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers - Western Region) – On the penultimate day, Saudi Arabia beat hosts Bahrain 83-70, while Palestine completed the formalities of a 112-50 win over Sri Lanka
MANAMA (FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers - Western Region) – On the penultimate day, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia beat hosts Bahrain 83-70, while Palestine completed the formalities of a 112-50 win over Sri Lanka.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bt Bahrain 83-70
A dominant fourth quarter saw KSA pull off an important victory over Gulf rivals Bahrain. After trailing early, Bahrain first drew level in the second before surging ahead in the third quarter.
The game started off with Saudi Arabia building an early 6-0 lead. But Saudi center Alsuweilem got into early foul trouble as he was called for two offensive fouls within a few minutes. Bahrain then went on a 7-0 run of its own, knocking down multiple mid range jumpshots. Saudi Arabia would come right back going on yet another 8-2 run of their own thanks to some easy layups led by athletic forward Ayoub Alhawsawi who even got a huge block on rival forward Mohamad Kawaid.
At the end of the first quarter, Saudi Arabia led 24-19. The middle quarters slowly saw the momentum shifting towards the hosts, with Bahrain clearly in control in the third quarter, outscoring Saudi Arabia 27-16. It was Saudi Arabia now, struggling to get into the paint and forced to settle for contested threes. Going into the final ten minutes, Bahrain led 64-60.
Saudi Arabia though came back inspired in the fourth, and their renewed energy on defense rubbed off on the other end of the floor as well. Led by their point guard Marzouq Almuwallad’s 26 points Saudi Arabia completely took control of the game. After their 27 points in the third quarter, Bahrain was restricted to just 6 points in the decisive final ten minutes.
If there are any lessons from this loss, Bahrain will need to reconsider their over reliance on jumpshooters, and find ways to augment their resources in the paint. Additionally, Bahrain’s perimeter players were guilty of repeating allowing rivals guards led by Almuwallad of drive right into the heart of their defense, creating easy opportunities for Saudi Arabia to score, especially in the first and fourth quarters. How well it plugs these gaps will be on display in their final game against Palestine on 15th.
Palestine bt Sri Lanka 112-50
Earlier in the day, Palestine predictably coasted past Sri Lanka in a 112-50 win. After Palestine’s only loss to Saudi Arabia earlier on in these pre-qualifiers, the side was expected to come back with a point to prove. Led yet again by the ever consistent Saki Sakakini, Palestine led pretty much from start to finish, constructing 28-11, 27-9 and 32-11, first, second and fourth quarters respectively.
Sri Lanka showed a brief flickering of a spark in the third, scoring 19 points, but the side was thoroughly outclassed yet again. Sri Lanka power forward Praneeth Udumalagala continued to impress, staying on court for the entire 40 minutes en route to 20 points.
For Palestine, apart from Sakakini, forward Ahmed Haroon managed 21 points, off of 7/12 shooting, while point guard Mark Hill and forward Abu Shamala too scored in double digits.
FIBA