CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Service members from Camp Arifjan defeated members of the Kuwaiti National Guard 52-25 in a Third Army sponsored basketball game Dec. 13, 2009, in the Zone 1 Gym.
The contest began with a greeting at center court between the two teams. After the traditional handshakes, the fun began.
The game started out a bit ugly as both the Kuwaiti team and the U.S. team continually turned the ball over; however, the U.S. team hit its stride midway through the first half as Spc. Gianni Antongiorgi, 310th Human Resource Sustainment Command, and Sgt. Winston Allen, 64th Transportation Company, picked up the pace and slashed their way to two baskets apiece during a 12-0 run.
With the U.S. team up 22-6 with less than four minutes until halftime, Kuwaiti point-guard Mohammed Madoh scored the next 9 points for his team, including a 3-point bomb in the final seconds before the buzzer as the gap closed to 24-15 at the break.
At halftime, U.S. coach, Sgt. Maj. Charles Nash, 39th Transportation Company, encouraged his squad to play as a team and come out with a lot of energy in the second stanza.
"There was a lot of one-on-one action in the first half by our guys, and I wanted to stress the importance of sharing the ball and playing with discipline," said Nash. "I knew these guys would come out with the right focus in the final half of play."
Nash's prediction was correct as the U.S. team took care of the ball and lit up the scoreboard from the inside and outside as the lead soon got out of hand for the Kuwaitis.
Led by Sgt. Brandon Benefield, fire control squad leader, 1-43 Field Artillery, and his 17 points from both inside and out, the U.S. team left the Kuwaiti squad impressed, but also left them optimistic about the next time these two allied nations meet on the hardwood.
"The experience of the U .S. team was too much for us to handle," said Adel Faij, director of sports, Kuwaiti National Guard. "Basketball is a fairly new sport in Kuwait, and it showed out there on the court today. Hopefully we will continue to improve and be able to give the Americans a better contest the next time we play,"
After the game, the two teams exchanged gifts and took group photos to commemorate the event as a token of appreciation between the allies.
"I think this builds individual friendships between the two nations," said Sgt. Maj. Melvin Johnson, sergeant major, Area Support Group — Kuwait. "It is great for our guys to get out and hang with their counterparts in Kuwait in a fun atmosphere like this."
The game between U.S. military members and the Kuwaiti National Guard is part of an ongoing sports competition promoting good relations between the two nations.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2010 10:40 |
| Story ID: | 47535 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 236 |
| Downloads: | 147 |
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