MACAU (China) - Ub Huishan NE (SRB) hold the throne as they defeat Paris (FRA) 21 - 16 to win the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Macau on October 20.
Standing tall in pole position with 4 stop wins in the season, most recently winning in Amsterdam last week, the Serbian Giants continued their stride in Macau. They went unbeaten on their way to the final, last defeating a powerhouse in Riffa in the Semis. Strahinja Stojacic had been the offensive hub for Ub all tournament, starring in yet another MVP calibre-season.
They were pitted against Paris, who clicked into gear after a pool play loss to catch fire on their way to the final. Both teams boast offensive prowess and shotmaking ability.
Paris established early presence in the paint while Ub started scoring from the perimeter, a two from Marko Brankovic. Suhard answered back from deep, continuing an efficient showing for Paris.
The teams traded buckets early, but it was the team from Serbia who took early separation thanks to big makes from Dejan Majstorovic and Brankovic who took the score to 8 - 4. Paris fought back in the paint on both ends of the floor, but it was timely twos from Franck Seguela that leveled the scores 10 - 10.
It was a physical battle throughout with both teams finding themselves in foul trouble. Ub pulled ahead through free throws as they held a slight advantage with just over 3 minutes to go.
Strahinja Stojacic made a huge two to hand the Serbians an 18 - 14 lead, closing their way to victory. It was Dr. Strange who called game yet again with a quick-witted bucket in the paint to seal the victory in favor of Ub, 21 - 16.
Stojacic led the way for yet another stop win for the Serbian juggernauts, finishing with a tournament-high 42 points and Player value of 56.2. The World Number One earned another MVP award to add to his accolade-studded season.
In the individual contests, Riffa’s (BRN) Thibaut Vervoort broke the 3x3 shootout record, scoring 18 points to win the shootout contest while Dengxing “Dunk King” Chen won the Wilson dunk contest.
STANDINGS
1. Ub Huishan NE (SRB) 2. Paris (FRA) 3. Riffa (BRN) 4. Partizan Meta Force (SRB) 5. Princeton (USA) 6. Liman (SRB) 7. San Juan Church's (PUR) 8. St. Pauli (GER) 9. Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) 10. Wuxi WenLV (CHN) 11. Saitama Alphas EXE (JPN) 12. Kandava Turiba (LAT)
The 3x3 World Tour returns next weekend in Abu Dhabi (October 16-27)