Mahaka SM loses in ABC Champions Cup

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's Mahaka Satria Muda (SM) club has failed to shine in the ABC Champions Cup at Ghazir Club Court in Beirut, Lebanon.

The champion of the 1999 national basketball league was thrashed by Al Manama of Bahrain 64-93 in Group B's game on Monday evening. In the opening game on Sunday, it gave up to Malaysia's top club Petronas 73-79.

SM team manager Erick Thohir said that players were burned out on Monday, after they fought hard against Petronas the previous day.

"The players' performance was very poor. They played a good game on Sunday, when they nearly outshine Petronas, but it ended up in a narrow margin after all,"

"On the other hand, the Bahrain team played very well. The team's humiliating defeat of 54-90 to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad apparently boosted its motivation," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone.

He said his players were left behind with 33-51 in the first game. "In the second game, our players tried to catch up with Bahrain. It was a tight game, but it was much too late. Bahrain players had a solid defense and they could earn points anywhere they shot the ball."

He also said Bahrain had hired two players from the United States. Except for Indonesia, Iran and Syria, all the clubs competing in the annual event boasted foreign players.

On Tuesday, SM will face Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.

"It will be difficult for our players to win the game against Saudi Arabia. The team has four players who are over 2.05 meters tall. We can't predict the result, let's see tomorrow," he said.

He said Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Al Rayan of Qatar were favorites in the Cup.

Erick also said Indonesia received warm support from local fans, but it had disappeared following SM's poor performance in the last two games.

"The local nationwide TV station, LBC, aired our first game against Petronas and today's game against Al Manama live from the court. They appreciate us because we come from a far away country, they thought we were one of the best teams in our region.

"But after today, the TV station may stop live broadcasts of our games," he said.

Indonesia is in the same group as Malaysia, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Erick also said China, Japan and Uzbekistan had withdrawn from the Cup for security reasons.(ivy)