Al Ettihad cruise past Al Najma

Al Ettihad edged Al Najma 108-101 yesterday in their Group A game of the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Cup. Ettihad had strong performances on the second and third quarters and then did just enough in the end to hold on for the victory. Najma got back to within one point in the final quarter following a lay-up by Qassim Hassan that made it 98-99 with just under four minutes remaining.

But then Hassan Albosta replied with a three-pointer on the very next possession and later scored once again to give Ettihad a 104-100 advantage. Najma were unable to narrow the gap from there. Ettihad had a slow start to the game and faced a 21-27 deficit after the opening period. They were able to turn things around in the second when they took a 52-50 lead into the half. They extended their lead to 85-76 after three and did well to thwart a Najma comeback.

Mohammed Abdulla Ali led a balanced attack for Ettihad in their win. He scored 26 points, including an impressive five three-pointers, coming off the bench. He was one of six Ettihad players in double-figures. Ahmed Mohammed Shabaan added 24 points and eight rebounds while Ali Ghadeer had a near triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Fadhel Abdulelah had 13, Ali Helal 12 and Albosta 10. Ali Jaber had a game-high 39 points for Najma.

He also had 10 rebounds and six assists. Hassan scored 23 off the bench while skipper Fadalallah Abbas came one assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 12 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Cup action continues this evening with Samaheej taking on Isa Town at 5.30pm.