FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup: Australia, China earn World Cup berths after final triumphs
SINGAPORE — Australia's men's team and China's women's team booked their berths at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup basketball tournament on Sunday (10 July), after both won their respective competitions in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup at Marina Bay Sands.
The Australians clinched their third straight men's title after defeating New Zealand 21-17 in a thrilling final, with Jesse Wagstaff wrapping up the title with a lay-up. He also won the Most Valuable Player award after leading the scoring charts with 42 points from five games.
Wagstaff made it to the Team of the Tournament, alongside New Zealand's Nikau McCullough and China's Zhao Jiaren, who led China to a podium finish with a 20-18 victory over the Philippines in the bronze-medal game.
In the women's competition, China won their first-ever Asia Cup after shutting down defending champions Australia to win 14-10. With MVP Wang Lili pulling the strings, her teammate Zhang Zhiting scored a game-high six points while Huang Kun also added five points.
Joining Wang in the Team of the Tournament were rising star Anneli Maley of Australi, and Kimberley Pierre-Louis, who led Indonesia to a surprise bronze-medal finish after upsetting Japan 21-17.
The Singapore men’s team lost both their pool matches, 17-21 to the Philippines and 13-22 to China, while the women's team also lost both their pool games to Indonesia (15-21) and Japan (3-11).
Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
