MANGILAO (Guam) – Day one of the inaugural FIBA Micronesian Cup 2022 had teams from Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, Northern Marianas Islands (NMI) and Palau in action for the first time at a regional FIBA Oceania tournament in over 1000 days.

In the first game of the day, the men from Palau were too strong for FSM 74-50.  Anthony Belau Rudi scored 13 points with 7 rebounds and 2 assists.  Pushing the ball up the court, the Palauan's were dynamic in transition.

"Our team is made up of first timers with four veterans," Rudi said.  "With the wisdom of our veterans and energy from our young people, our game plan was for the older players to hold defence while younger ones make the other team run."

The Palau women's team came away with the win against FSM, with Namiko Singich scoring 22 points in their 87-17 win.  With their quick play of the ball and scoring efficiency, the women from Palau have asserted their intent for the tournament.

"We haven’t played together in a tournament for four years," Singich said.  "We played here (Guam) in the Under 17s in 2017, so its nice to be back and it’s like a bit of redemption for our small team.  We made big improvements today and we have improved a lot since we were last here."

Game three of the day saw the women's home team, Guam, taking on NMI.  In a tight tussle, Guam came away with the win 94-46, but not without a solid fight from NMI. The Won sisters from NMI, E’Anna and Ky'Sonna, scored over half of the team's points, with a combined 25 points and 14 rebounds. For Guam, Mia San Nicolas was a powerhouse coming away with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

"Every time I put on a Guam uniform it’s serious business, especially on my home court," San Nicolas said. "We want to play together as a team and defend our home court as much as we can. We have a mix of experience, speed, and athleticism. We blend and work well together, I think we have a good shot of winning this tournament."

In the final game of the day, the Guam Men's Team were dominant from the jump against NMI winning 113-45.  In their first game at the University of Guam Calvo Field House since their 2021 loss against Chinese Taipei in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, the Guam Men were eager to start their FIBA Micronesian Cup campaign with a win.  Ben Borja II was prolific, scoring 21 points with 13 rebounds.

"We had a good first game and got our tournament jitters out of the way," Borja II said.  "The atmosphere out here is great, being back bouncing a ball, shooting shots in front of a home crowd is awesome.  We enjoy playing our island partners, we are one big basketball culture and I like that."

The stage is set for day two of the FIBA Micronesian Cup 2022, with NMI up against Palau in the first women’s game of the day, with the men taking the court in the second game. 

All games will be streamed on the FIBA YouTube Channel - Men's Competition and Women's Competition. For the full event schedule click here. 

The FIBA Micronesian Cup 2022 features national teams from across Micronesia, with 16 games to be played across four days from June 8 to 11 in Mangilao, Guam.  The top team will qualify for the 2023 Pacific Games.

FIBA