Manama’s Preliminary Round Ends in Defeat

Salman shines, but Kuwaitis pull away

Bahrain’s Manama Club suffered their third defeat at the 37th Arab Basketball Championship for Men’s Clubs, losing 76–65 to Kuwait SC yesterday in Dubai. After previous heavy losses to Lebanon’s Antonine (79–73) and Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli (103–78), Manama entered the Group B match hoping to rebound.

Early Tight Battle

The first quarter ended tied at 20–20 after Kuwait SC briefly led by six points. Coach Salman Ramadan unusually started both foreign players, Daniel Hamilton and Carl Jones, together from the beginning. In the second quarter, Manama edged ahead 12–13, highlighted by Hassan Nowrooz’s quick three-pointer, which prompted a timeout from Kuwait’s coach. Mohamed Buallay added another three-pointer, temporarily extending the lead to four points. Kuwait quickly responded, taking a two-point advantage, until Ahmed Salman scored a decisive three-pointer to give Manama a one-point halftime lead, 33–32.

Kuwait Takes Control

The third quarter proved decisive as Kuwait SC dominated 28–16, capitalizing on Manama’s mistakes and the lack of offensive impact from Daniel Hamilton, who had been top scorer in the previous matches. Kuwait’s fast breaks and offensive rebounds extended their lead up to 15 points. The fourth quarter ended 16–16, leaving the final deficit at 11 points, 76–65.

Standouts And Context

Ahmed Salman led Manama with 22 points, followed by Carl Jones with 12 and Hassan Nowrooz with 11. With this defeat, Manama finished at the bottom of Group B with three points from three losses. 

Kuwait SC moved to second with five points, while Al Ahly Tripoli tops the group with six, and Antonine of Lebanon sits third with four points. Manama will now face the top team from Group A, the host Al Nasr Club, in the Round of 16, which includes former Manama player Travin.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores:

- Q1: 20–20

- Q2: 12–13 (Manama)

- Q3: 28–16 (Kuwait SC)

- Q4: 16–16