Ukraine, China U24 Rule Day One of FIBA 3x3 Ulaanbaatar Women's Series 2024

ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Ukraine and China U24 ruled Day One of the FIBA 3x3 Ulaanbaatar Women's Series 2024 to book seats in the Semi-Finals on Day Two. The Ukrainians & Chinese displayed remarkable determination during the event held at Sukhbaatar Square. Their dynamic performances reflected both their skill level and aspirations to win it all. Let's delve into the events of the first day of the 3x3 Women's Series Ulaanbaatar.

UKRAINE UNLEASHED

Ukraine entered Ulaanbaatar as a relatively unheralded squad, but they sure made their mark on Day One. Maximizing their size advantage, the Ukrainians swept Pool A en route to booking an outright berth in the Semi-Finals. They outclassed Mongolia U23, 21-3, before rallying to disappoint Mongolia, 21-14, in their second game. Ukraine finished their pool play by staving off the Philippines, 21-16. Miriam Uro-Nilie was a tower of power on Day One, finishing with 29 total points.

CHINA ADVANCE

Third-seeded China U24 started their day with a tough loss to Austria, 17-15. However, behind the stellar play of Wu Mingjie and Li Wenxia, they pulled off back-to-back wins to finish on top of Pool B. China U24 bounced back against Austria U23, 18-8, before making short work of erstwhile unbeaten Thailand, 21-11. The Chinese will wait in the Semi-Finals for the winner between Mongolia and Thailand.

THAILAND TURN HEADS

Speaking of Thailand, they may have fallen short of sweeping Pool B, but they remain a team to watch on Day Two. Behind the sublime performance of Rattiyakorn Udomsuk, the Thais booked inspiring wins over both Austrian teams on Day One. They defeated Austria U23, 17-13, before outlasting Austria, 21-20. China, however, ended their magical run.

WOWING THE HOME FANS

Mongolia could not finish on top of Pool A, but they still secured two wins to advance to the Quarter-Finals. They opened their account with a lopsided 21-10 win over the Philippines, but their second game of the day was very different. Mongolia erected an 11-7 lead early against Ukraine, but they also fell into foul penalty quite early. This enabled Ukraine to claw back and steal the game. Mongolia then finished Pool A action by defeating their U23 counterparts, 21-9.

QUARTER-FINALS

QF1: Austria vs Philippines
QF2: Mongolia vs Thailand

SEMI-FINALS

Ukraine vs QF1 Winner
China U24 vs QF2 Winner

DAY 2

The Women's Series Opener comes to a close tomorrow as we find out who starts the Women's Series season on a high. Tune in LIVE tomorrow to the action!

FIBA