Raudondvaris Hoptrans power to title at FIBA 3x3 Yichang Challenger 2024

YICHANG (China) - Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU) claimed their fourth title of the season after storming through the field at the FIBA 3x3 Yichang Challenger on October 1-2. 

Here's what happened in the 19th Challenger of the season .

The winner: Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU)

The lethal Lithuanians were rampant in Yichang and barely raised a sweat on Day One. Their impressive form carried over into Day Two, where they had far too much polish for NY Harlem (USA). 

Raudondvaris' biggest test came in the semis against countrymen Marijampole Mantinga (LTU), who knew their every move. 

But Olympic bronze medalist Aurelijus Pukelis caught fire with 9 points and he also added 6 rebounds as Raudondvaris won 21-18. 

The No.1 seed entered as slight underdogs in the final against red hot Paris (FRA), but submitted a commanding performance with Evaldas Dziaugys unstoppable with 11 points to walk off with the MVP.

 

The runner-up: Paris (FRA)

It was the third straight top two finish for Paris in just under two weeks. Even though they've crisscrossed the planet in this hectic period, Paris have not wavered as they cruised through the pool phase. 

The No.2 seed were pushed to the limit against Kandava Turiba's (LAT) in the quarters, but superstar Franck Seguela stepped up with a masterful performance. 

Seguela combined with speedy Hugo Suhard to overcome improving Barcelona (ESP) in the semis before Paris finally ran out of gas in the final. 

But Paris lost no admirers as they continued their strong form. 

 

The Final: Raudondvaris Hoptrans 21-Paris 13 

There was much excitement as the top two seeds squared off in the decider. Facing a team in the midst of a gruelling schedule, Raudondvaris decided to play up tempo and it worked a treat as they scored the first three points within the opening 20 seconds.

Excitement machine Paul Djoko responded with a pretty layup then a two-handed jam as Paris stormed back. But scoring machine Evaldas Dziaugys went on a heat check with 6 points in two minutes as the Lithuanians started to have breathing room. 

Superstar Franck Seguela tried to inspire his team with a driving one-handed jam, but it wasn't enough as the Frenchmen finally tired. 

The Lithuanians capitalized and fittingly it was Dziaugys who capped his monster tournament with a two-pointer to clinch the title. 

 

The reward: Three tickets to the Manama Masters

Raudondvaris Hoptrans, Paris and Barcelona qualified to the Masters Masters on November 1-2.

Final Standings:
1. Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU)
2. Paris (FRA)
3. Marijampole Mantinga (LTU)
4. Barcelona (ESP)
5. Hangzhou (CHN)

Top Scorers:
1.  Evaldas Dziaugys (Raudondvaris Hoptrans, LTU) 38 pts
2.  Vytautas Sulskis (Marijampole Mantinga, LTU) 34 pts
3. Franck Seguela (Paris, FRA) 30 pts
4. Hugo Suhard (Paris, FRA) 27 pts
5. Aurelijus Pukelis (Raudondvaris Hoptrans, LTU) 26 pts

Key Stats:
- Talented Latvian Zigmars Raimo had a triple-five of 6 points, 7 rebounds and 5 highlights in Kandava Turiba's (LAT) thrilling pool win over Brisbane CLB EXE (AUS). 
- Guim Exposito had a stellar 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 highlights in Barcelona's quarter-final win over Hangzhou (CHN). 
- Bucket getter Kidani Brutus had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 7 highlights in NY Harlem's (USA) pool victory over Belgrade (SRB). 

FIBA