Hosts Singapore fall to Indonesia and Japan
SINGAPORE — Two-time defending champs Australia (men), and Japan (women) powered through pool play on Day 3 as the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2022 main draw started with a bang.
Australia lived up to its promise and easily progressed to the quarter-finals along with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Japan.
In the women’s draw, Japan progressed to the knockout stage and so too Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
It means Australia play Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals, while Japan meet New Zealand. In the women’s, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia clash, while Japan and Sri Lanka do battle.
It’s a return of the Asia Cup after a three-year absence and played at the footsteps of the spectacular Marina Bay Sands.
The Teams
Every time Australia and New Zealand meet in sports, there are fireworks. And this was no exception as the Trans-Tasman rivalry heated up Singapore.
After the teams traded buckets, Australia took control through Jesse Wagstaff who was in a hurry to finish up before the time limit as he became a one-man scoring machine.
The tall and athletic Australia were just getting warmed up as they put the foot down against Qatar to stay on course for a three-peat.
Japan women’s team were able to somewhat limit red hot Kimberley Pierre-Louis as they survived a major scare from Indonesia before shutting down Singapore with a defensive masterclass to silence the passionate home fans.
The Players
You want a new 3×3 star? Stand up Jesse Wagstaff, who impressed during his 3×3 debut at the FIBA 3×3 Manila Masters and took his game to new a level in his international showcasing.
The 6ft. 8in (2.03m) bucket-getter took matters into his own hands against rival New Zealand as he was mixing twos with aggressive drives to the rim. He finished with 14 points to match New Zealand’s tally all by himself!
Wagstaff’s incredible haul was remarkably overtaken by a superhuman performance from Kimberley Pierre-Louis, who scored an insane 16 points to lift Indonesia’s women past inspired host Singapore and into the quarter-finals.
The athletic 6ft. (1.83m) player feasted in the paint and finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds to outscore the host on her own.
There’s good reason why her nickname is ‘Buckets’.
The Upset
Turkmenistan were spectacular in qualification but struggled first up against Chinese Taipei.
So it was do or die against Sri Lanka and favourite Turkmenistan appeared to be finding their best but couldn’t pull ahead.
Sri Lanka kept fighting while scores were deadlocked in the final minute. They found inspiration through Anjalee Ekanayake, who produced a tough layup as Sri Lanka held on and celebrated memorably.
Day 4
The Asia Cup continues on Day 4 with men’s and women’s Pool A and C play.
Men’s
Pool A: Mongolia, India, Korea
Pool B: New Zealand, Qatar, Australia
Pool C: Singapore, Philippines, China
Pool D: Japan, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan
Women’s
Pool A: Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Thailand
Pool B: Japan, Indonesia, Singapore
Pool C: China, Australia, New Zealand
Pool D: Chinese Taipei, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka
The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2022 is ongoing at the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza till 10 July. The winners of the men’s and women’s competitions will secure their places at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup in 2023. The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2022 will be the second time Singapore hosts an official FIBA 3×3 basketball competition. The first-ever FIBA 3×3 game was also played in Singapore, during the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010. Since then, the game has grown in popularity and has been included in the rosters of several major multi-sport events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
FIBA Media Release
Photo Credit: FIBA
