Algeria end Bahrain title hopes

Hichem Benayad-Cherif

BAHRAIN bowed out of title contention in the 23rd Arab Men's Basketball Championship last night after a heartbreaking 66-74 loss to Algeria in the semi-finals. The Bahrainis kept things close for three quarters, but in the final canto could not match their rivals. With the result, the Algerians moved on to the gold medal game where they will face Saudi Arabia. The Bahrainis, on the other hand, take on hosts Egypt for the bronze medals. Both contests will be played today. The game for third place is scheduled for a 6pm start, followed by the title-decider at 8pm. The Saudis booked their berth in the final following a stunning 70-69 win that dethroned defending champions Egypt. The final will be followed by the closing ceremony and awards presentation. It was a missed opportunity for Bahrain yesterday. The nationals had previously beaten both Algeria and Saudi during the tournament's preliminary round, but are now left to fight for third place. The Bahrainis' fourth quarter showing last night was also a complete opposite from the 44-point performance they had in their win against Algeria earlier this week. Bahrain started on a positive note as Mohammed Ameer swished home a medium-range jump shot for the game's first basket. Mohammed Buallay later buried a three-pointer from the right wing to beat the first-quarter buzzer and give the Bahrainis a narrow 22-20 lead. Both teams were then ice cold for the first five minutes of the second period, during which Bahrain could only score a single point while the Algerians were scoreless. Both teams eventually found their groove and Mohammed Kuwayed soared for a rim-rattling slam dunk to put Bahrain ahead 35-31. The Algerians managed to crawl back and levelled the proceedings at 37-all heading into the half. In the third period, Algeria gradually began to take control of the game, but Bahrain kept fighting. Maytham Jameel had a lay-up right before the quarter ended to make it 51-53. That set the stage for Bahrain's dismal fourth quarter, when the nationals appeared to lose their composure and rush several shots, allowing their rivals to eventually pull away. Algeria's Hichem Benayad-Cherif (201-G/F-90, college: Armstr.Atlantic) buried a three-pointer from the right corner to give them a 65-56 lead, and later with the Algerians leading 67-58, Bahrain's Jameel was called for a questionable unsportsmanlike foul on seven-foot, one-inch centre Mohamed Seddik Touati. He made both free-throws for a 69-58 advantage with under two minutes remaining, virtually icing the win for Algeria.
Courtesy of: gdnonline.com