SINGAPORE, 2023, APRIL 02 – The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2023 took place at the famous Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Square from 29 March to 2 April, and it saw Mongolia‘s men’s team and Australia‘s women’s team emerge as the champions.
In the men’s final, Mongolia broke Australia’s 24-game winning streak, and they did so in a thrilling match that ended with a score of 21-18. Mongolia held the edge throughout the game, but Australia stormed back to level the score at 18 apiece. It was then that Mongolia’s superstar Anand Ariunbold hit an incredible two-pointer, followed by a free-throw that secured the victory. This was Mongolia’s second triumph, having previously won at home in 2017, and it avenged losses to Australia in the 2018 and 2019 finals. Delgernyam Davaasambuu was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) after scoring an equal-high 31 points.
New Zealand won the bronze medal in the men’s category after defeating China convincingly with a score of 21-13. In the women’s category, Australia dominated the tournament, and they capped off one of the most dominant runs seen at the event with a comprehensive 21-11 victory over their rival New Zealand. This was the closest any team got to Australia, whose most impressive performance was a 21-6 thrashing against China in a rematch of last year’s final. Marena Whittle was named the MVP of the women’s category after scoring a leading 43 points in five games.
The defending champions, China, settled for the bronze medal after narrowly beating Thailand, who had knocked out the No.2 seed, Japan, in the quarter-finals.
This was the second consecutive year that Singapore hosted Asia’s biggest 3×3 event. The winners of the 2023 edition also earned a ticket to one of the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Paris 2024, highlighting the significance of the tournament for the teams involved.
