Manama move closer to FIBA WASL-Gulf Semi-Finals with historic win
DOHA (Qatar) - Manama moved closer to reaching the FIBA WASL-Gulf League Season 2 Semi-Finals following a historic 130-83 conquest of Al Shamal, Tuesday night.
The defending FIBA WASL champions turned the Al Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall into their personal playground, jumping to a 31-13 advantage to end the first quarter as they hardly faced any resistance since on their way to remaining unbeaten.
Manama are still on top of Group B of the sub-zone league after winning their fifth game in as many outings. Their Qatari counterparts, meanwhile, dropped to 0-5.
Group B
9/12 games played
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Manama |
5 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 497 | 379 | 118 | 99.4 | 75.8 | 10 | |
| 2 |  Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai |
4 | 3 | 1 | 75.0 | 358 | 297 | 61 | 89.5 | 74.2 | 7 | |
| 3 |  Kazma |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 339 | 346 | -7 | 84.8 | 86.5 | 5 | |
| 4 |  Al Shamal |
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 373 | 545 | -172 | 74.6 | 109 | 5 | |
Game heroes: Cameron Clark set the pace with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists for an efficiency of 42 in the victory that saw plenty others deliver solid outings.
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Ahmed Haji came through with 21 points on six triples, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Sir'Dom Pointer flirted with a triple-double as he registered an 18-9-8 stat line.
Hassan Nowrooz shot five treys to finish with 15 points, 12 of which he made in the second quarter alone to lead their 32-point outpour to give themselves a 63-30 halftime lead.
Travin Thibodeaux tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and a pair of steals while Emran Ali chipped in 11 points as all but one scored at least two points in the rout.
STEP AHEAD Player of the Game: Pointer earned STEP AHEAD Player of the Game honors as he played a key role in their second half assault to make sure that they finish strongly.
Turning point: Manama were holding on to a narrow three-point lead until the troika of Haji, Clark, and Thibodeaux powered a 12-0 run towards a 24-9 lead with 3:07 left in the first.
Stats don't lie: The win saw Manama tally the most points scored by a team in a FIBA WASL game. It was big thanks to the way they shared the ball as they racked up 41 assists, nine more than the previous record set by defending West Asia League champions Al Riyadi.
The Bahraini champions, furthermore, tied the Lebanese powerhouse for the most three-pointers made in a FIBA WASL game with 19 in the lopsided triumph.
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They said: "It is very important always to get a win on the road. We prepare ourselves every game because we don't like like to underestimate nobody. We want to be humble and keep on improving and developing our identity. The guys did a good job sharing the ball with 41 assists ... We will keep growing." - Linos Gavriel, Head Coach, Manama
"I think one of the biggest lessons is that your best ability is availability. You really need to be at full force when you're competing against the best teams from other countries. WASL is a regional super league, you have to come out with a full force every time out. You have to be prepared and ready to fight." - Uche Iroegbu, Al Shamal
FIBA
