Oman’s national basketball team began their Fiba Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers campaign with an 88-63 defeat to Kuwait in Dubai on Wednesday.
Kuwait took control from the opening quarter, building a 26-12 lead before maintaining their advantage through the middle stages of the Group A encounter.
Oman showed greater attacking intent in the final quarter, but Kuwait’s early lead proved decisive as they closed out the match with a comfortable victory.
The national team were led offensively by Osama al Riyami, who finished with 22 points, while Abdulrahman al Shuaibi added 16. Hadid Bait Bakhit contributed nine points and Ahmed al Halhali scored seven.
Oman converted 22 of their 63 field-goal attempts, including six three-pointers from 22 attempts, while making 13 of 24 free throws.
The team also collected 32 rebounds and registered eight assists. Kuwait, meanwhile, finished with 46 rebounds and 22 assists, reflecting their advantage in both possession and ball movement.
Despite the opening defeat, Oman still have three matches remaining in the first-round group stage and will look to respond quickly.
They face Bahrain in their second match of the qualifiers on Thursday, before meeting hosts UAE on August 30 and concluding their Group A campaign against Nepal on August 31.
With the top three teams in the group advancing to the next round, Oman will aim to recover from the opening setback and keep their qualification hopes alive in the remaining fixtures.
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