NUWAIDRAT lifted the 2024-25 Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) Cup last night. The victors secured the coveted trophy after edging past Muharraq 83-79 in a thrilling tournament final, played at the BBA Arena in Um Al Hassam. American professional Malik Wineglass (203-C-1993, college: Harris-Stowe St.) iced the win for Nuwaidrat with two pressure-packed free-throws and just 1.9 seconds remaining. His baskets made it a two-possession game, pushing the result out of Muharraq’s reach. BBA president Alaa Mudara and several other BBA officials were in attendance for the contest. Mudara later presented Nuwaidrat and Muharraq their respective trophies and medals during the awarding ceremony. The BBA Cup is one of a number of national competitions organised annually by the BBA. It does not feature any national team players. Nuwaidrat were the early aggressors in the contest, building a commanding 20-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Muharraq were then able to narrow the gap in the second period to 28-34 following a Mohammed Juma’a basket right before the half-time buzzer. They then took a narrow lead in the third until Salman Mohammed (C) buried a three-pointer with under a minute to go in the period to put Nuwaidrat back ahead 57-55 heading into the final frame. There, Nuwaidrat stayed in control but Muharraq continued to fight. After an Ali Abdulnabi split at the charity stripe that made it 70-63 in Nuwaidrat’s favour, Muharraq replied with a 7-0 run, sparked by two free-throws by US import Tony Mitchell. He then scored again on a fast-break to level the proceedings, and later teammate Bader Malabes (183-G-1987) buried a long-range triple to put Muharraq ahead 74-72 with just two minutes to play. But Murtadha Salman replied with his own basket from beyond the arc to give Nuwaidrat back the slim edge, and Muharraq never recovered. Wineglass free-throws extended their advantage, and Muharraq could have tied it with 11.2 seconds to go, but Mitchell missed one of his charity shots. Wineglass made them pay with his game-ending shots from the stripe to secure this season’s BBA Cup.
Courtesy of: gdnonline.com