Blue Team secures qualification in Asian qualifiers

Kuwait’s national basketball team defeated their Nepali counterparts 88-65 in their third match of the first window of the Asian qualifiers for the Asian Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates and concluding tomorrow at the Al Ahli Youth Club arena in Dubai. In another match, Bahrain’s national team beat the UAE 83-80.

Kuwait and the UAE lead the standings with five points each from three matches, followed by Bahrain with four points from two victories, and then Oman and Nepal, each with two points from two defeats. Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain have secured their places in the second window of the qualifiers, scheduled to take place next November.

Kuwait will miss today’s round, in which Bahrain faces Nepal, while the UAE plays Oman. The qualifiers will conclude tomorrow with Kuwait facing Bahrain and Oman taking on Nepal.

Kuwait opened their qualifying campaign with an 88-61 win over Oman, before narrowly losing to the UAE 75-72 in the second round. From the outset, Kuwait dominated Nepal, ending the first quarter 21-12. They maintained their advantage in the second quarter, which concluded with a three-pointer by star player Turki Hamoud in the final second, extending the lead to 24 points (45-23). The third quarter was no different, as Kuwait imposed their dominance and ended the period 67-38. Kuwait translated their superiority in the final quarter into a well-deserved 88-65 victory.