MANAMA (Bahrain) - Daniel Hamilton and Mohammed Ameer came through with the killer blows to tow Muharraq Club past Ittihad Club, 84-79, to chalk up their first win of the 2025-26 FIBA WASL season Monday night.
Hamilton broke the 79-all knot with a three-point play with 1:21 to go, before the seasoned bruiser struck the dagger through an underbasket stab with 24.3 seconds left as they finally broke through after a 0-2 start.
Hamilton finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Ameer added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists as their late-game heroics also foiled the visiting team's bid of going 3-0 in Group A.
"I would like to say that we did some things better," said head coach Peter Schomers. "We had some really good fastbreaks, we had some good stops when it counted and I think that's what made the difference."
Nick West top-scored for Muharraq with 25 points and 8 rebounds, while Kerwin Roach notched his own double-double performance with 18 points and 10 assists, which he laced with 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and a block.
His last dime of the match proved to be the most important one as it ultimately led to Ameer's game-sealing bucket - a connection that also averted disaster, much to the relief of their faithful at the BBA Arena.
The defending Bahraini Premier League champions actually came out roaring, hardly needing time to click from deep as they nailed a total of seven triples to establish a 36-22 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
They actually made three of those in consecutive fashion courtesy of Roach, Hamilton, and Bader Malabes, which powered a blistering 15-0 run toward a commanding 30-17 advantage as a rout appeared imminent.
However, they cooled down in the succeeding quarters, and that stagnation on offense enabled their Saudi Basketball League counterparts to take the lead a couple of times during the second half.
Things looked bleak as well for the home team when Ittihad tied things up at 79-all behind Ibrahima Faye with only 2:09 remaining, but the Red Wolves found ways on both ends of the floor to come out triumphant.
In between those clutch hits by Hamilton and Ameer was the team's defensive effort, which forced the Tigers to a five-second inbound violation with 44.8 seconds to go, proving to be the beginning of the end for the latter.
"I think our game wasn't at a very high level, but there are always good things that I'm trying to emphasize. In this game, it was definitely the way we came out: focused," offered the German bench tactician.
Muharraq, who recently won the domestic Super Cup, will look to sustain their winning ways when they enter the second half of their Group Phase campaign on December 17 with a rematch against Kazma at home.
Put to naught by the loss, on the other hand, was the showing of Jarrell Eddie, who led all scorers with 32 points behind a WASL record-tying 10 treys. He also collected 9 rebounds and 2 assists in 40 minutes.
Faye finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Erick Neal tallied 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists as all three reinforcements played the entirety of the match. Mathna Almarwani added a 12-9-5 stat line.
Ittihad fell to 2-1 following the result but are still on top of Group A. A chance to bounce back lies ahead when they lock horns anew with Shabab Al Ahli on December 9 in their own stomping grounds in Jeddah.
FIBA