UAE rout Oman in one-sided tie

Dubai: UAE beat Oman 98-50 in their Gulf Cup basketball tie at the Rashid Bin Hamdan indoor sports hall at the Al Nasr Club yesterday.

The match was a one-sided affair with the UAE dominating from the start to the final whistle. They led in all the four quarters without giving the Omanis any chance to advance or snatch the lead.

UAE now top the standings with four points from two wins (they defeated Bahrain in their first match 74-68). Oman have two points from two defeats, having lost first match to Kuwait.

Oman advanced for the first and last time in the first minute when they led 4-2. However, Qasim Mohammad, Jasim Abdul Redha and Ayoub Ahmad soon restored order and levelled the score for the UAE before they widened the gap to six points and led 25-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Oman tried to reduce the deficit which was increasing all the time. Ali Saud and Mohammad Mubarak were on target for Oman on some occasions, but the UAE players continued rocking the Oman basket through three-pointers by Qasim, Abdel Redha, Khalifa Al Shaiba and Talal Salim.

They led in the second quarter 47-24 and went on to finish the third quarter 74-38.

The Omani players committed several mistakes weather in defence or on the offensive, which resulted in many fouls which the UAE team benefitted from to widen the gap.

The match was attended by only a small crowd - highlighting the fact that holding these disciplines along with the soccer Gulf Cup is not a great idea.