Nuwaidrat beat Samaheej in basketball league

TDT | Manama                                                       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Nuwaidrat improved their chances of booking a spot in the Top Six of the 2023/2024 Zain Bahrain Basketball League last night following a 103-81 victory over Samaheej at Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam.

The contest was the last fixture for both clubs in the league’s regular season, with Nuwaidrat hoping to advance to the next stage and keep their title hopes alive. Samaheej are already eliminated and will be competing amongst the five lower-ranked teams in their consolation competition.

Nuwiadrat claimed their sixth win in 10 games with yesterday’s result, but need to wait for the results of tonight’s two fixtures for the Top Six to be confirmed. Manama, Al Ettihad and Al Hala are all assured of their berths, while the remaining slots are being contested between Nuwaidrat, Al Najma, Al Ahli and Muharraq.

Tonight, Ahli take on Bahrain Club and Muharraq square off with Hala. Tie-break rules will need to be applied should multiple clubs finish with identical win-loss records to determine the Top Six.

In Nuwaidrat’s win last night, a 35-point opening quarter gave them a good start but Samaheej stayed close in the first half, trailing just 49-54 at the break. Nuwaidrat then took control in a lopsided third, where they outscored their opponents by 23 points, for a commanding 84-56 advantage into the final stanza. There, they enjoyed their biggest lead of 31 points and they cruised to the final buzzer.

Sameen Swint scored 28 points to lead Nuwaidrat in the game while Lamar Mallory chipped in with 19. Ammar Mohammed Shabaan added 12 and Mohammed Salman Ali had 11. Basel Adel paced Samaheej with 24 points in the loss, which was their seventh in 10 games to end the regular season. Mohammed Abdulla Jaffar scored 23 off the bench.