Reigning champs Serbia and France deliver on Day 2 of FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2023

JERUSALEM (Israel) - Serbia (Men) and France (Women) come out unscathed on Day 2 of the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2023 on September 6. 

THE TEAMS

Reigning champions Serbia (Men) had a rocky start to their campaign, full of twists and turns as they took on a strong Austrian team. The favorites went down early which kept getting worse. They found themselves down 12 - 18 at the door of a difficult loss. That is when Nemanja Barac stepped up, picking up crucial contact buckets. He scored four before a two from Marko Brankovic leveled things up. With a point down and time ticking down, Strahinja Stojacic pulled up for two to drain the Maurice Lacroix Game Winner, handing his team a roller-coaster win. Kojic’s early 7 points proved to be key as well.

They went up against home side Israel where they made quick work of it for the most part with Barac leading the side in scoring with 8 points. They held control for most of the game, looking to finish early before the Tomer Assayag-led started to come back. They cut the deficit to just one before Marko Brankovic sealed the game with a 2. They picked up a 22 - 19 victory to finish Pool Play. They will have their sights set on tomorrow when they face the Netherlands in the Quarter-Finals.

France (Men) also went perfect in Pool Play. Timothé Vergiat and Hugo Suhard combined for 15 points to lead their side to a 21 - 12 victory against Croatia in the opener before they took care of business against a lethal Netherlands team.

The Suhard - Cavaliere connection was unstoppable in this game. Cavaliere put up a game-high 11 points, jamming down buckets left, right and center. They booked themselves a Quarter-Final spot against Austria.  

It would be a bitter end to the tournament for home side Israel (Men) as well as Croatia (Men). 

On the Women’s side, reigning champs France clinically dispatched their opponents. The defense of Myriam Djekoundade was crucial over the two games, never allowing either Ukraine or Czechia to get rolling while Laetitia Guapo and Marie-Eve Paget kept raining down buckets. Paget scored an incredible 4 twos in the first game to score a game-high 8 points. Guapo and Hortense Limouzin put up a combined 14 points to finish Day 2 unbeaten. They will now face Portugal in the Quarter-Finals. 

Lithuania (Women) had an eventful Pool Play in Jerusalem, starting off on the defensive early against a fiery Portugal. They were down 6 - 11 with little time left off the back of a dominant start by Emilia and Laura Ferreira. Defensive star Giedre Labuckiene and sharpshooter Kamile Nacickaite started to connect on the scoresheet, pulling their team back in. It was Labuckiene’s bucket that would take the game to OT. That’s when Special K would take over, draining a heavily contested two to hand her side a 13 - 15 victory. 

Nacickaite picked up where she left off in their next game against Hungary, going off for 10 points while Labuckiene offered tremendous defensive impact. They won 21 - 16, booking their spot in the Quarter-Finals as they’ll take on Czechia. 

Ukraine (Women) and Hungary (Women) would unfortunately see the end of their campaign in Pool Play. 

THE PLAYERS

Serbia’s (Men) Nemanja Barac was a monster in Pool Play, scoring a team-high 14 points while also leading his side in rebounds. He ignited the comeback against Austria in the thrilling opener as well, contributing four huge points when the team needed it most. 

France’s (Men) Leopold Cavaliere was unstoppable in the deciding game against France. He went off for 11 points while also imposing his presence on defense, preventing the flashy Dutch stars to ever get going. 

Laetitia Guapo was clutch once again for France (Women). She put up 11 points over two games, having the highest offensive impact in their game against Czechia. She also led her side in rebounds with 8. 

Lithuania’s (Women) Kamile Nacickaite was on a mission in Pool Play. She leads the event in scoring with 17 over the two games while also having a team-high 16.0 Player Value score. She also was instrumental in the team’s comeback and OT victory against Portugal in the opening game. 

QUARTER-FINALS 

Men

Serbia - Netherlands

France - Austria

Latvia - Czechia

Lithuania - Belgium

Women 

France - Portugal 

Lithuania - Czechia

Netherlands - Germany

Italy - Spain

Day 3

The knockout stages commence tomorrow with the Quarter-Finals taking place all before the all-important medal games. It’s a day of 3x3 history, tune in tomorrow for all the action.