2018 3x3 World Cup: Day One Full Report
The 2018 3x3 World Cup is underway in the Philippines. Ten teams in both the men's and women's competitions took to the court on the first day of play, and put on quite a show in in the world's largest arena.
Men's Tournament
With two wins each in Pool B, Poland and Estonia both got off to the best start in the tournament. Estonia’s starters put in high-scoring shows as they outlasted Japan and took down Indonesia in succession. Poland, meanwhile, followed their opening win against Indonesia by taking a five-point lead early on against Slovenia.
After every attempt by Slovenia to close the gap, Poland struck back and stretched their lead back out. Poland were easily the better team in the game, and with plenty of great moves by Pawel Pawlowski and big numbers from Michael Hicks, they got their second, much-deserved win.
Japan also looked to upset Slovenia with an early lead of their own, but the strength, skill and stamina of Slovenia saw them better Japan and get their first win on the board.
In Pool D, Nigeria threw everything they had at Ukraine in their debut World Cup game, but a ten-point run and good all-around play throughout got Ukraine off to winning ways. They looked to continue this into their second game, but found Latvia stiff opposition.
The teams were evenly strong, and points came early and often, but Latvia's ability to find and create shot opportunities won them this hotly-contested matchup.
Karlis Lasmanis's scoring efforts then helped Latvia to a second win over a spirited Jordan team. Meanwhile, with a rampant show on offence against Jordan and a fast dispatch of Nigeria, Croatia made a statement - everyone should take note. They could very well emerge as serious contenders as the competition moves on.
At the end of the first day of play, Japan and Indonesia sit at the bottom of Pool B, with Poland and Estonia on top and Slovenia in between. Pool D sees Croatia and Latvia both unbeaten, with Ukraine still looking dangerous, while Jordan and Nigeria are still both seeking to make the win column.
Women's Tournament
Argentina and Kazakhstan both lost their first games to France and Switzerland respectively, making their Pool B matchup all the more crucial. A low-scoring affair, Kazakhstan had a four-point lead with just under three minutes left, but leaving Julieta Mungo wide-open proved to be a fatal error. Three in a row from the six-foot sharpshooter gave Argentina the edge they needed, and closed the game out in front by one point.
China’s height advantage and agility saw them take a come-from-behind victory against France, which set up a tantalising encounter with Switzerland, who had the top scorer of day one in Marielle Giroud.
Both teams were evenly matched; shooting well from inside and outside, playing well as a team and able to get shots off quickly. Mid-way through the game China took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Switzerland to go within two of victory. Switzerland struck back, though, with Giroud finishing off a seven-point run started by Evita Herminjard to tie the scores with a minute to go. Nancy Fora then made a layup for Switzerland, but Zhiting Zhang immediately seized the ball and handed it off to Li Yingyun who hit up a long-range two - a dramatic moment of inspiration that won the game for China.
Host nation Philippines did not get the start to the tournament they wanted, losing by ten points to the Netherlands in Pool D. After which, Germany would not give Spain an inch, but after a nice move from Nuria Martinez Prat - handing a missed shot to an unguarded Paula Palomares for the two - Spain had the game under control and got their first won of the competition by six points.
Hungary met the expectation behind them going into this tournament with a dominant opening win against the Netherlands. They then had a close-fought encounter with the other winning team, Spain. A point separated the teams down the stretch, when Dora Medgyessy put up a two to give Hungary the late lead. Spain’s Aitana Cuevas Mediavilla, however, was having none of it - four points from her in the last minute kept Spain alive and unbeaten at the end of day one.
So Philippines foot Pool D, while the performances of this day prove for an intriguing and exciting conclusion to what is the toughest of the four groups. China are unbeaten in Pool B after their amazing win against Switzerland, who sit behind them along with Argentina and France. Kazakhstan, though, have it all to do if they are to make it to the knockout round.
Day two of the competition will see play in Pools A and C get underway. Stay with us for that, while there's more on this year's 3x3 World Cup on the official website.
