High-flying cagers eye third win
Bahrain will look to maintain their perfect start to the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 pre-qualifiers when they take on Nepal today at 4pm, Bahrain time.
The kingdom’s senior men’s basketball national team head into their third Group A encounter in Dubai, the UAE, with two wins from as many games following victories over Oman and hosts UAE.
The Bahrainis opened their campaign with a ruthless 106-62 victory over Oman before showing their resilience in an 83-80 win against the UAE on Friday night at Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Sports Hall.
Greek-Slovenian head coach Slobodan Subotic’s cagers will now be heavily favoured to make it three straight against a Nepal side still searching for their first victory.
Nepal have suffered two defeats so far, going down 110-64 to the UAE in their opener before losing 88-65 to Kuwait on Friday.
Bahrain, meanwhile, have shown two different sides to their game across their opening contests.
They dominated Oman from start to finish in a 44-point rout before having to fight their way back from nine points down with less than five minutes remaining to edge the Emiratis.
Mustafa Hussain and JaKarr Sampson were instrumental in that comeback, combining for 49 points. Hussain finished with a game-high 28, including four three-pointers, while Sampson posted 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Ahmed Salman, who added 19 points in the victory, credited Subotic’s leadership for Bahrain’s composure during the tense closing stages.
“I’ve been coached by a lot of coaches, and he is one of the best,” Salman said. “I’m not just saying that because he’s here. The calmness we showed against the UAE came from our leader. He stayed calm, and that helped us stay calm as well.”
Victory over Nepal would further strengthen Bahrain’s position in the battle for one of Group A’s three places in the second round.
The Bahrainis are amongst 18 national teams competing across four groups in the first round, with the top three from each advancing.
The 12 qualifiers will then be divided into two groups of six for the second round, scheduled to be played from November 23 to December 1.
The top four from each of those groups will earn places in the 2029 Asia Cup qualifiers, joining the 16 nations that competed at the 2025 continental championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain then wrap up their Group A campaign against Kuwait tomorrow at 7pm, Bahrain time.
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