Bahrain cagers off to flying Asian Cup start

Kingdom side launch pre-qualifying campaign in style against Oman

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain made a flying start to their FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers campaign last night, routing Oman 106-62 in their Group A opener in Dubai.

The kingdom's senior men's basketball national team took control early at Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Sports Hall in the UAE, leading 24-13 after the first quarter and 56-31 at half-time.

The Bahrainis, coached by Greek-Slovenian tactician Slobodan Subotic, continued to dominate after the break, taking an 80-46 advantage into the final period before completing a 44-point victory.

Mustafa Rashed led the national cagers with 21 points in just under 22 minutes, shooting eight-of-13 from the field, while Jakarr Sampson finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Ahmed Alderazi and Ahmed Bindayneh added 13 points apiece, with Alderazi also handing out a game-high nine assists.

Bahrain are one of 18 national teams, 17 from Asia along with Fiji from Oceania, divided into four groups being hosted at separate locations in the pre-qualifiers' first round.

The top three from each group advance to the second round, giving Bahrain plenty to play for during their four-game Group A campaign in Dubai.

They made their intentions clear from the outset yesterday.

Rashed scored the opening four points before Mohamed Buallay completed a three-point play for a 7-0 lead, with Oman not getting on the board until Ahmed Al-Halhali struck with 6:17 remaining.

Sampson was the standout of the opening quarter, scoring 15 points, including three three-pointers, as he remarkably outscored Oman 15-13 by himself during the period.

Bahrain then blew the game open in the second quarter.

After Ahmed Al-Sinani cut the deficit to 24-15, Subotic's men reeled off 17 unanswered points through Mohamed Juma, Mahmood Khalifa, Alderazi, Buallay and Bindayneh to surge 41-15 ahead.

Oman responded with a 9-0 run, but Bahrain quickly restored control and Ali Rashed scored the final basket of the half to send his side into the interval 56-31 ahead.

There was no way back for Oman after the restart.

Rashed opened the second half with five straight points, and although Abdul-Rahman Al-Shaaibi helped Oman briefly reduce the deficit, Bahrain responded immediately.

Bindayneh's three-pointer with two seconds remaining made it 80-46 at the end of the third, before the Bahrainis outscored their opponents 26-16 in the fourth to complete the rout.

Bahrain shot an impressive 56.5 per cent from the field, including 41.9 per cent from three-point range, while converting 15 of their 17 free throws. They also outrebounded Oman 44-34 and registered 27 assists.

Hadid Bait Bakhit led Oman with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Al-Shaaibi added 16 points.

Bahrain return to action today against hosts the UAE at 7pm, Bahrain time, before a rest day for all teams on Saturday.

They face Nepal on Sunday at 4pm and conclude their Group A campaign against Kuwait on Monday at 7pm.

The 12 teams progressing from the first round will be divided into two groups of six for the second round, to be played in a round-robin format between November 23 and December 1.

The top four from each group will then advance to the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Qualifiers, joining the 16 teams that competed at the 2025 continental championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.