Bahrain Run into Wall of Champions

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain bow out as Filipinos remain flawless in William Jones Cup

Bahrain’s 2025 William Jones Cup campaign came to a close on Saturday with a 92–68 defeat to the Philippines’ Strong Group Athletics, the defending champions and group leaders heading into the final day.

The match was Bahrain’s eighth game in as many days and followed a heavy loss to hosts Chinese Taipei the day prior. Despite showing fight through the first three quarters, Bahrain were held to just four points in the fourth, which is the lowest scoring quarter by the team in the tournament.

Total control

Strong Group Athletics led from the opening tip, establishing a 30–23 advantage in the first quarter and extending it to 54–43 by halftime. Bahrain narrowed the gap slightly in the third, but the Philippines used a decisive run in the final quarter to seal the result.

Philippines' Andre Roberson led all scorers with 25 points and 14 rebounds on 12-of-16 shooting. Tajuan Agee added 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Javier Gomez de Liaño contributed 12 points off the bench. The Filipinos shot 49.3% from the field, including 41.4% from beyond the arc, and won the rebounding battle 49–25.

For Bahrain, Subah Azzam had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Abdulqader Mohamed added 12 points (3-of-4 from three), and Mohamed Hamoda and Ahmed Haji each scored 10. Bahrain shot a solid 44.4% from three but struggled inside (37.8% on two-pointers) and managed only four offensive rebounds.

Tournament Overview

The result concludes Bahrain’s first William Jones Cup campaign since 1978. They leave with a 6–2 record, registering wins over Japan U25, Chinese Taipei Development Team, Malaysia, Australia United, the UAE, and Qatar B. Their only two losses came against Chinese Taipei (93–50) and the Philippines (92–68).

Bahrain now shift focus to the 2025 Arab Basketball Championship, which begins this Friday and runs through August 2. The draw will take place this Monday.