Ammon News - BAHRAIN'S Al Hala Club suffered a disheartening 81-113 loss to Jordanian club ASU last night in their opening game of the 24th Fiba Asia Champions Cup, being played in Amman, reports PATRICK SALOMON.

The Bahrainis were overmatched in the contest right from the very tip-off, even with the reinforcements of Americans Rasheim Wright and Jonathan Jones.

Wright paced Hala in the setback with 30 points and seven rebounds while Jones added another 21 and 10. Bahraini guard Ahmed Ali contributed 12 markers and big man Ali Shukhrallah seven for their team, but they received very little help from elsewhere.

ASU lived up to their tag as one of the tournament's favourites in the big win. Quincy Douby, another import from the US, spearheaded the winners with 24 points including four assists and five steals. Fellow-professional Chris Daniel had a solid 10-point, 13-rebound effort; while homegrown sharpshooter Wesam Al Sous lit it up from the perimeter, scoring 21 points - all of which came from his seven three-pointers in the game.

Ahmad Alhamarsheh chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Ayman Idais and Mohammed Hadrab finished with 14 apiece to round out ASU's six scorers in double-figures.

Hala were clearly outclassed in the contest by ASU's balanced team performance. The Bahrainis' bench alone were thoroughly outscored, 11-40, by their Jordanian counterparts.

The home side put their stamp early on in the game and took quick command with a 32-19 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Bahrainis battled harder in the second period, but ASU remained well in control up 55-41 heading into the break.

In the third quarter, the Jordanians put to rest any hopes of a Hala comeback after building a comfortable 27-point cushion, 87-60, with one quarter to play. The fourth was a mere formality, but ASU still refused to let up en route to claiming a resounding 32-point win.

Action

The result put ASU in first place on group 'A'. The other teams in their division, Foolad Mahan of Iran and Al Jaish of Syria, were not in action yesterday.

Hala are back in action tomorrow when they take on Jaish. Today, the Syrians open their tournament campaign against Foolad Mahan.

In last night's other contest, Qatari outfit Al Rayyan beat Kazakhstan's BC Kapshagay 81-67 to make a winning start in group 'B'. Rayyan will be looking for their second straight win this evening against Duhok of Iraq, while Kapshagay face off with ONGC from India in another contest today.

The preliminary round is being played in a single round-robin for each group. The results will determine the rankings for the quarter-finals. (Gulf Daily News)