Al Najma, Manama triumph in basketball league

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Najma and defending champions Manama were both victorious last night in their week two games of the 2023/2024 Zain Bahrain Basketball League.

Najma posted a come-frombehind 101-88 triumph over Nuwaidrat to claim their second successive win in the new season, while Manama also stayed undefeated after outclassing Al Hala 77-58.

Najma used a strong second-half against Nuwaidrat to turn a 48-53 deficit at the break to the 13-point winning margin.

The victors outscored their opponents 28-15 in the third and held on to their advantage until the final buzzer.

Joshua Caldwell had 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists to spearhead Najma, while Mohammed Buallay added 22 markers.

Elijah Robinson chipped in with 18 while taking down 11 boards and also dishing out six assists.

For Nuwaidrat, Sameen Swint was their leading scorer with 29 while Lamar Mallory contributed 21 in the losing effort. Najma improved to a 2-0 winloss record while Nuwaidrat dropped to a 1-1 mark.

Meanwhile, Manama were in control of their game against Hala from the start but stretched their lead to as many as 21 late on.

They held Hala to just eight points in the final period as they sealed their second straight triumph to begin their back-to-back title-defence.

Sir’Dominic Pointer led a balanced attack with 18 points for Manama, who had five players in double figures. Mohammed Ameer added 17 while brothers Mustafa and Ali Hussain each scored 11.