Bahrain win exhibition contests

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national basketball team won their two recent exhibition games in preparation for their upcoming qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

The Bahrainis first defeated their counterparts from Saudi Arabia 70-63 and then beat the UAE 72-71.

Both contests were played in Jeddah where the nationals held a short overseas training camp.

The Bahrainis are set to host continental powerhouses Japan on 11 November and China on 14 November.

Those games will mark their ninth and 10th in Group F of this stage of Asian qualification.

The nationals are currently ranked last in their division with a 2-6 win-loss record— with their two wins having been carried over from the previous round.

Australia are the group leaders with an undefeated 8-0 mark, followed by China (6-2), Kazakhstan (5-3), Iran (5-3), Japan (3-5) and Bahrain.

Group E of the Asian qualifiers features New Zealand (6-0), Lebanon (5-1), the Philippines (3-3), Jordan (3-3), Saudi Arabia (1-5) and India (0-6).

The nationals are coming off a pair of losses in their previous two games against Australia and China.

Their upcoming game against Japan is scheduled for 11 November at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.

They then take on China three nights later on 14 November.

The Bahrainis then travel half-way across the globe for their last two qualifiers next year. They play Australia on 23 February and then face off with Japan on 26 February in a pair of away fixtures.

At the end of this qualifying stage, the top three teams from each group—along with hosts Japan and the Philippines— qualify for next year’s World Cup.