Najma, Nuwaidrat claim big wins

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Najma and Nuwaidrat were both victorious last night in their week seven games of the 2023/2024 Zain Bahrain Basketball League. Najma led from start to finish in their 76-57 triumph over Samaheej, while Nuwaidrat came alive in the second half for a 96- 71 victory against Isa Town.

Both games were played at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam. Samaheej and Nuwaidrat, who are amongst the bottom-placed teams on the table, played once again without a foreign professional.

In Najma’s win, a one-sided second quarter where they outscored Samaheej by 17, 26-9, helped them turn a slim 13-10 lead to a commanding 39-19 advantage at the half. They continued their fine play in the third where they took their biggest lead of the game of 31, 63-31, following a Joshua Caldwell three-pointer.

Najma then cruised in the final canto en route to the final whistle. American import Elijah Robinson spearheaded Najma in the contest with 27 points, while also taking down 14 rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Countryman Caldwell chipped in with 13, while Sayed Mohammed Hameed had 10. All but two of Najma’s players scored in the game as they posted their fourth win in seven outings to improve to 11 points.

Basel Adel scored 15 and Ahmed Fateel 11 for Samaheej, who dropped their fifth game in six tries and went to seven points in the bottom half of the league table. Meanwhile, Nuwaidrat needed a strong showing in the final two periods to oust their rivals.

They held a slim 22-16 advantage after the first period and Isa Town reduced their deficit to 71-96 at the interval. Nuwaidrat then took control of the game in the third, stretching their lead to 70-57. They rode their momentum into the final canto where they finished strong to end the game with their biggest margin at the final score.

Lamar Mallory from the US erupted for 43 points to lead Nuwaidrat. He also took down 17 boards in the game. Omran Yousif contributed 16 markers in the win while Abbas Jameel Ebrahim had 12. For Isa Town, Talal Qaheri scored 17 points while Habib Sami had 16.

Nuwaidrat improved to a 4-2 win-loss record in six games, while Isa Town suffered their sixth straight defeat and remained as one of only two teams in the league who are still winless. League action continues tonight with just one game on schedule. Tipping off at 5.30pm, Muharraq face off with Bahrain Club to wrap up the seventh week of action.