SHARJAH (15th GCC Basketball Championship) - Qatar won their fourth consecutive GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Basketball Championship after beating neighboring Saudi Arabia, 66-61, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday.

The Qataris were forced to play this “tie-breaker” after they suffered a defeat against the Saudis a day earlier. KSA’s wins meant that the two teams were tied with 6 points and that a tie-breaker the next day was required to crown a champion.

The Green Falcons raced to a five points 1st quarter lead only for Qatar to stage a comeback in the second quarter and go to half-time with a 33-26 lead.

The experienced Qataris continued their dominance after the interval to lead by 11 points with just 10 minutes left in the game. That comfortable 3rd quarter lead proved enough for Qatar, who hung on for the win.

With this win, Qatar have now qualified for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, the new name of the continental FIBA Asia Championship.

Hosts United Arab Emirates finished third, while Bahrain finished fourth.

The Al-Annabi team will be travelling to Tehran, Iran on Wednesday to participate in the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge. They will play in Group C against hosts and defending Champions Iran and Iraq.

The top five teams in the FIBA Asia Challenge will earn an extra berth for their respective sub-zones in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.

FIBA