Manama, Nuwaidrat triumph in BBA Cup group games

Manama and Nuwaidrat were both victorious last night in their respective groups as action resumed in the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Cup 2019 at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam. Manama routed Bahrain Club 100-75 in Group B while Nuwaidrat overcame a tough challenge against Al Ettihad in a 92-82 Group A win. Manama burst out of the gate to begin their contest and immediately built a commanding 27- 16 lead at the end of the opening period.

They never looked back from there, going up by as many as 38 points on a Mohammed Jassim lay-up that made it 80-42 with two minutes to go in the third period. American Christopher McKnight and Bahraini forward Sadiq Shukrallah both finished with 23 points to lead Manama. McKnight also added 10 rebounds and three steals in the game, while Shukrallah had 12 rebounds and five steals. Mohammed Hussain chipped in with 13 points and seven assists while Jassim had 11 to go with 11 boards.

Hussain Lulu and Jalal Akbar were the top men for Bahrain Club. They combined for 43 points, with Lulu almost registering a triple-double after also posting 10 assists and nine rebounds. He also had six steals in the loss. In Nuwaidrat’s victory, they used a strong second quarter to turn a 20-23 deficit at the end of the first quarter to a 47-37 lead at the half. The final two periods were then evenly matched as Nuwaidrat did well to stave off any late comebacks from their rivals.

Mohammed Batti led the victors with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Hasan Madan added 17 including three three-pointers to go with seven assists, while Ebrahim Albasri contributed 14. Ammar Shabaan paced Ettihad with 21 in the loss. Cup action continues tonight with another two games. At 5.30pm, Muharraq face off with Sitra Club in a Group A clash followed at 7.15pm by Al Hala taking on Isa Town in Group B.