Both Australia's men's and women's teams lifted the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup trophy after dominating performances at Singapore Sports Hub
SINGAPORE, 31 MARCH 2024 – For the third straight year, Singapore hosted Asia's biggest 3x3 event with the seventh edition welcoming over 6,000 people from March 27 to 31 — with Singapore’s men’s and women’s national teams taking center stage in the main draws on March 29 (Friday) and 30 (Saturday)
Singapore’s women’s team were up first on Friday, putting up valiant efforts with the help of the crowd. The team ended their campaign on the same day after two unfortunate losses to powerhouses China and Chinese Taipei, 20-12 and 18-8 respectively.
The home side’s men’s team followed suit the next day. Cheered on by a boisterous local crowd — who without a shadow of a doubt showed up for both the men’s and women’s teams — the men’s team fell to an in-form Iran and China 21-12 and 21-15.
Singapore’s famed Delvin Goh featured alongside his three teammates for the first time since the city began hosting the tournament in 2022. As one of the senior players alongside Kelvin Lim, Goh said that calmness was key in facing teams of Iran and China’s quality.
“I try to tell my teammates to stay calm because at the end of the day, it’s basketball! It’s not that hard, you just have to come here and play your game. The nerves are always going to kick in but all you have to do is stay composed and try to strike a balance. No noise, no nothing. I just focus on myself. That’s what I tell them, focus,” the 28-year-old shared with Sportplus.sg.
“This year, I finally have the chance to play with the guys so I’m really happy and at the same time, I got to play in front of my family and the fans. It’s always nice to have the fans behind you. I hope they know that we are trying our best and give us some time. We’ll come back stronger,” Goh added.
The finals the next day were nothing short of an exciting display of Asia’s best.
Australia cemented their status as the region's 3x3 basketball powerhouse after winning both titles at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024 on Sunday (March 31).
They dominated the half-court at the famous Singapore Sports Hub to win men's and women's for the second time having achieved the feat in 2019.
Playing in their fifth straight men's final, Australia reclaimed their crown and won a fourth Asia Cup title overall with a dominant 21-7 victory over Iran at the OCBC Square, stifling Iran in a spectacular performance as they pulled away early and never eased up. MVP Todd Blanchfield fittingly hit the two-pointer to seal Australia's triumph.
Though Iran's giant-killing run from the qualifying draw ended, they still clinched their first medal since winning bronze in the tournament's first edition in 2013. Defending champions Mongolia had the consolation of a bronze medal after a thrilling 21-18 win over New Zealand. Superstar Anand Ariunbold produced a brilliant performance with 15 points and sank two free throws to seal Mongolia's fifth men's medal.
In the women's final, all-conquering Australia successfully wrapped up their title defence with a tough 18-13 victory over New Zealand in a repeat of last year’s final. Australia held a slim 15-13 lead in the final minute before MVP Alex Wilson hit a clutch two to effectively end the New Zealanders’ resistance.
"We just played super hard so I just hope that if you've never heard of The Gangurrus before, you know us now," smiled a proud Anneli Maley in her post-match interview.
Australia had blitzed their way to the final, dominating all their matches including a 22-9 thrashing of New Zealand in the pool phase. But on Sunday’s final, they were seriously threatened for the first time during their back-to-back title run. Still, they did enough to add to their triumphs in 2017, 2019 and 2023.
Mongolia won the bronze medal after beating Chinese Taipei 17-10 for the country’s first women's Asia Cup medal since they claimed silver in 2013.
It was goosebumps all around as an emotional Khulan Onolbaatar took the time to speak to the fans at OCBC Square and those back home, “We had a medal in mind when we came here and having this medal for the first time for Mongolia women’s team is historic for us. Thank you Singapore, thank you to the Mongolian fans. We’ve worked so much for a long time and getting this piece of metal to prove that we’ve improved is so big for us and thank you Mongolians for all your support.”
For more Day 2 and 3 pictures, visit the gallery here.
For more day 4 and finals pictures, visit the gallery here.