2018 3x3 World Cup: Day Four Full Recap
There was no let up on day four of the 2018 3x3 World Cup - the drama, tension and shows of skill were just as high as they have been throughout what has been, and continues to be, a brilliant basketball tournament.
Men's Tournament
New Zealand's energy and speed helped them get their first win of the tournament, 20-15 over Kyrgyzstan, with a stand-out performance by Steve Timmins, while Pool A opponents Romania's tournament came to an end after suffering heavy losses to Netherlands and Serbia. Netherlands' place in the knockout round was safe after high-scoring shows from Jesper Jobse helped get them the win against Romania and a later one against New Zealand. Serbia, though, would be going through as pool winners after they closed out Pool A with a 21-9 win against Kyrgyzstan.
Over in Pool C the most talked-about men's team, Canada, took an early seven-point lead over hosts Philippines, who began to eat into the Canadians’ lead with haste. Roger Ray Pogoy put the Philippines on top with 1:30 in the game, then Michael Linklater gave Canada a one-point lead with 25 seconds to go. Christian Standhardinger responded immediately for the Philippines, and then tried to hold back Linklater, but couldn't as the Canadian guard knifed through the lane and got a layup to drop with five seconds left. Pogoy’s final shot attempt was no good, and Canada were the victors in one of the games of the tournament. A subsequent 22-4 win over Brazil confirmed for them the top spot in Pool C.
Also in pool C, Mongolia more than made up for a lacklustre start to the tournament with two come-from-behind wins, first against Russia and then later on against Brazil - both games which were decided in the final two minutes.
Already eliminated, Philippines bowed out of the tournament in style with a huge and conclusive win against Russia, where they led by as many as twelve. Having looked so confident, Russia seemed to fall to pieces, and at the worst possible time. Their loss was also a gift for Mongolia, as it secured them the second place in the group and a spot in the knockout round.
Women's Tournament
Russia and USA’s dominance in Pool C continued into day four, both getting double-digit wins over Iran and Uganda respectively. It was then their turn to take on one another, and as many expected they were evenly matched until the halfway mark, when Sabrina Ionescu caught fire for the USA - hitting shots from all over the floor and doing well to find open teammates for easy looks. Together with a big contribution from Erin Boley, USA won both the game against Russia by 21 points to 13 and the top spot in Pool D.
Iran’s star player Saiedeh Elli guided her team to a conclusive and comprehensive victory over Andorra, who were then consigned to exit the tournament winless after a 18-12 loss to Uganda. Two wins from Uganda saw them finish in a more-than respectable third place, while Iran's competition ends with them sitting atop Andorra.
After a 19-5 routing of Indonesia, Italy then faced the Czech Republic in a matchup that was as anticipated - closely contested and hard to predict. Kristyna Minarovicova gave the Czechs a three-point lead midway through the game, but Italy were not about to let the game get away from them. After closing the gap and tying the scores at 19 down the stretch, Rae Lin D’Alie found Giulia Rulli open under the basket, and she took Italy to one point from victory. A foul was then called on D’Alie which sent Romana Stehlikova to the line, who kept her cool even with the roars of the Italian fans ringing in here ears, and she made both free throws to take the Czech Republic to the game-winning total of 21.
Turkmenistan, meanwhile, were on the back foot to begin with against Malaysia, but turned the game around with an unbeaten run of six points and went on to win 18-14. They then continued this unexpected and impressive form against Indonesia, winning by nine. Big scoring shows from Ayna Gokova across both of Turkmenistans' game days saw her finish as the overall top scorer of the pool stage.
Malaysia’s defensive pressure and long-range shooting took the Czech Republic by surprise, as they could not find an answer for the Malaysians, who had control and the lead throughout the game, which they won 22-18.
It wouldn't matter, though, as Czech Republic still had qualification wrapped up, along with Italy - with both teams tied on points scored and point average, the result of their match-up was the only thing that could separate them, meaning the Czech Republic finish in first place and Italy in second. Great efforts from Turkmenistan and Malaysia ended up being too little too late, while it was simply too little from Indonesia, who finish 0-4.
With the pool phase over, the brackets for the knockout round have been confirmed. The quarter final match-ups in the men's competition will be:
Serbia vs Mongolia
Latvia vs Poland
Slovenia vs Ukraine
Canada vs Netherlands
And the women's quarter finals:
Czech Republic vs Russia
Spain vs France
China vs Hungary
USA vs Italy
There's one more day in this year's 3x3 World Cup, at the end of which the winners of both tournaments will be crowned. For more information on all the games and teams, visit the competition's official website.
