Al Ahli Rally Past Muharraq 72-55

TDT | Manama

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Al Ahli turned a 13-point half-time hole into a 17-point win as they battered Muharraq 72-55 in the second round of the Bahrain Basketball Association Cup on Thursday night.

Down 39-26 at the break, Al Ahli ripped through their rivals after half-time. They won the last two quarters 46-16, a 30-point swing that left Muharraq with no answer.

The third quarter broke the game open. Al Ahli poured in 24 points and gave up only six, wiping out Muharraq's lead and moving 50-45 ahead.

They then finished the job with a 22-10 final quarter. Ammar Yusuf led the scoring with 21 points in 36 minutes, along with eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Ali Najaf added 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while Ali Hussain scored 13 and took five rebounds. Hassan Ghareeb chipped in seven points and six assists.

Mohammed Haider did much of his work at the other end of the court. He scored only two points but finished with seven rebounds, six steals, three assists and two blocks.

Muharraq had looked the stronger side early on. They took the first quarter 20-13 and the second 19-13, heading into half-time with a 39-26 lead. Khalid Hafedh was their top scorer with 16 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. K Khalil Mohammed had eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals, while A Ghazi scored nine.

But Muharraq's scoring dried up after the break. They managed only 16 points across the whole second half after scoring 39 in the first.

The win gave Al Ahli a sharp reply to their 86-61 loss to Samaheej in the opening round. Muharraq have now lost both of their cup games after an 80-63 defeat by Al Hala in their opener.