Liman and Ub Huishan NE Set The Tone at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Wuxi 2024

WUXI (China) - Liman and Ub Huishan NE got off to a perfect start by winning both of their opening games. In their first fixture, Liman defeated Vienna 21-19 and had to dig deep in their second game to beat a determined Podgorica Kodio 21-17. Stefan Kojic finished the game with 11 points and 2 rebounds, making some big clutch shots down the stretch. He is also today's joint top scorer with 21 points.

UB Huishan NE showed no mercy in their opening game, defeating Princeton 21-9. Strahinja Stojacic contributed with 7 points and 2 rebounds, while Marko Brankovic added 6 points. In their second game, UB triumphed over Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy 21-14, with Dejan Majstrovic dominating the court, finishing with 7 points and 5 rebounds.

SHANGHAI WORLD TOUR CHAMPS BOUNCE BACK AFTER SURPRISING FIRST LOSS

The Shanghai World Tour winner, Riffa, entered this tournament as the "team to beat." In their first game against Düsseldorf, who qualified through the preliminary rounds, Riffa opened up a convincing 17-11 lead with just over three minutes left. However, Düsseldorf stunned the Shanghai champs by going on a 7-0 run to win the game 21-19. Düsseldorf’s Leon Fertig finished with 9 points and 3 rebounds, while Riffa’s Dennis Donkor scored 8 points.

WUXI’S COUSINS DAZZLE HOME CROWD 

 

Much of the tournament's buzz centered around 2020 NBA Champion DeMarcus Cousins, also known as "Boogie." During his career, Cousins played for several NBA teams, including the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. In Wuxi’s first game against Partizan Meta Force, the home team, went toe-to-toe with their opponents. Even though Partizan won 21-19, Cousins was impressive, scoring 9 points and dishing out 5 assists. In their next game, Wuxi thrilled the home crowd by defeating a resilient Lausanne 21-16, with Andrew Kelly contributing 6 points and 2 rebounds, while Cousins scored 12 points.

 THE TITANIC BATTLE OF THE DAY

In arguably the best game of the day, Vienna and Podgorica delivered a true 3x3 spectacle as both teams traded baskets from the start. At the halfway point, Vienna held a slender 9-6 lead. With just 8.8 seconds left on the game clock and Vienna leading 18-17, Fabio Sohnel was denied at the rim by the big-blocking Milos Jovanovic. Milos tracked down the rebound and attempted to win the game from beyond the arc, but his shot fell short.

DAY 2

The action in Wuxi wraps up tomorrow as we find out who leaves China with the World Tour Wuxi victory

 

. Tune in for live coverage of the finals!