BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S youth men’s basketball national team bowed to their counterparts from Iran 62-95 yesterday in their first game of the fifth-to-eighth classification bracket in the Fiba U16 Asia Cup 2025, currently being played in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The Bahrainis never led in the contest and fell behind by as many as 35 points late on.
They will now play for seventh place overall, which would be their best-ever ranking in the history of the continental competition. The nationals go up against Chinese Taipei, who lost to South Korea 74-79 in yesterday’s other fifth-to-eighth classification clash. That game is scheduled for 6.30am, Bahrain time, today, as part of the four-game schedule on the tournament’s last day.
The Iranians and South Koreans face off for fifth at 9am. The bronze medal contest will then be held between Japan and New Zealand at 11.30am, setting the stage for the gold medal game at 2pm between three-time defending champions Australia and China. All times are Bahrain.
The Australians crushed their Japanese opponents 101-36 in their semi-final yesterday, while the Chinese were 86-72 winners against the Kiwis.
In Bahrain’s loss yesterday, they stayed close in the first period and a Yousif Yaqoob Meshaei lay-up to end the quarter got them to within 18-20. But it was downhill from there, as Iran built a 43-32 gap at the break. They continued to stretch their lead in the third when they held a 65-51 cushion heading into the final frame. There, they poured in 30 points and held the Bahrainis to just 11, building their biggest lead en route to their convincing win.
Hassan Abdulkadir scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and registered five steals in the loss for Bahrain, who were again missing Somto Patrick Onoduenyi. Mohamed Adel Abdulla added 16 while Hussain Fuad Ghuloom had 10.
Yasin Morovat Habali had 23 points for Iran. Bardiya Khosravi chipped in with 16 and Alireza Rashidi scored 13.
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