Tunisia Hand Egypt Another Blow

TDT | Manama

Email : hussainm@newsofbahrain.com

As Bahrain took their scheduled rest day, three matches unfolded at the 26th Arab Men’s Basketball Championship, clarifying the standings and raising the stakes ahead of the final stretch.

Tunisia strengthened their bid for a top finish by defeating Egypt 85–73, handing the defending champions a second consecutive loss. The contest was tight through three quarters, with Tunisia holding a 64–60 lead. Egypt pulled to within two with under four minutes remaining, but Tunisia’s response was immediate and emphatic — an 11–1 run, including a key three-pointer by Jawhar Jawadi, sealed the result. Jawadi led all scorers for Tunisia with 21 points.

Algeria remained undefeated, outscoring Kuwait by 13 points in the second half to take an 86–74 win. Bensalah Mohammed contributed 15 points off the bench, while Sedoud Chakib and captain Briki Sofiane also reached double digits. Algeria now sit at 4–0, placing them firmly in contention heading into the final two rounds. Kuwait, still searching for a first win, dropped to 0–4.

In the earlier game, Qatar collected their first win of the tournament, edging past the UAE 78–71. Djan Janik delivered the standout individual performance of the day with 33 points, adding seven rebounds and six assists. Abdulla Moosa’s three-pointer in the final minutes halted the UAE’s comeback attempt. The win gives Qatar a 1–3 record, while the UAE fall to 2–3 after opening the competition with back-to-back wins.

Bahrain, meanwhile, will return to action on Friday evening against Tunisia.