SINGAPORE — Mongolia capped off a memorable FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2023 as they calmed their nerve in the final to seal a 21-18 win over three-time defending champions Australia, while in the women’s category, the Australians were unstoppable as they capped one of the most dominant runs seen at the event with a comprehensive 21-11 victory over rival New Zealand.
It was Mongolia’s second title win after they lifted the trophy on home soil in 2017, winning 19-14 over New Zealand. This win in 2023 is sweeter for the East Asian nation after their two losses to Australia in the 2018 and 2019 finals. In 2018 it was just a one-point loss as Australia won 17-16. In the following year, Mongolia was trounced 21-9.
The Singapore men’s team made history as they registered their first-ever win in the competition and secured a berth in the quarter-finals. Singapore men’s team was drawn into Pool A with the tournament’s favourites Mongolia and Chinese Taipei. Singapore won 22-20 in a thrilling first game against Chinese Taipei in overtime but went down 22-9 to Mongolia in their second game. The other Pool A match was a tight affair, but Mongolia came out top, winning 21-19 over Chinese Taipei. Singapore’s group stage results were enough to secure a spot in the quarter-finals against China.
In their match against China, team Singapore was down by four points before they managed to get their first point, a two-pointer by Thng Yong-An. Singapore tried to match their counterpart on the courts and, at one stage, was trailing by two points at 6-4, but then China pushed up a gear and pulled away to 13-7.
Despite eventually losing 21-14 to China, it was a commendable performance by Singapore as the players did not let their guard down and tried to push their opponent until the end of the match. Thng scored another point for the team, while his teammate Ng Shi Yu contributed six points. Branson Tan helped his team with four points in the game, while Jonathan Ng put in the last point in the game for Singapore.
The Singapore women’s team put up a valiant effort in both their Pool B matches. They had a decent outing against Chinese Taipei, but luck was not on their side as they lost 16-12 and went down 15-5 to Japan in their final group match. Singapore was represented by 2021 SEA Games debutant Sara Choong, Kang Yi Tan, Choy Ting Tang, and Lydia Ang Zi Yi.
In the men’s competition, Delgernyam Davaasambuu was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring an equal-high 31 points and was joined in the Team of the Tournament by Australia’s Daniel Johnson and New Zealand’s Tai Wynyard, who finished with 30 points and 29 rebounds in five games. Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Marena Whittle won the MVP after pouring in a leading 43 points from five games. She was joined in the Team of the Tournament by teammate Anneli Maley and New Zealand’s Sharne Pupuke-Robati.
The New Zealand men’s team overcame a heart-breaking semi-final defeat to Mongolia to win the bronze medal over China with a convincing 21-13 win. In the women’s event, defending champions, China had to settle for bronze after narrowly beating 11-9 Thailand, who had knocked out number two seed Japan in the quarter-finals. This is Singapore’s second consecutive year to host the FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup, and they will continue to host this prestigious basketball tournament until 2025.