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06 - 11
July 2022
06/07/2022
News

Japan and Turkmenistan dominate qualification of FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2022 to make statements

SINGAPORE - Japan men's and Turkmenistan women's teams stormed through to the main draw of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2022 after dominant performances in qualification on day one on July 6, 2022.

In the first Asian continental championship since 2019, No.2 seed Japan made a statement as they qualified for the 12-team main draw alongside Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Qatar and Uzbekistan.    

In the women's, Turkmenistan and Indonesia made it through as the fifth edition of the Asia Cup heated up in front of the world famous Marina Bay Sands.  

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The Teams

Japan are one of the favorites for the Asia Cup but they had to get past qualification first. No sweat! They cruised past Malaysia and Iraq with crisp ball movement and sweet shooting to prove why Japan are an Asian 3x3 powerhouse. 

Ryuto Yasuoka was a flame thrower while magician Tomoya Ochiai pulled out the tricks to thrill the vocal fans. 

The standout in the women's was Turkmenistan, who made light work of a hectic schedule in the humid conditions to dominate Draw E with a trio of convincing victories.

The 12th seed started with an impressive 21-14 victory over a speedy Guam before an easy W over Kazakhstan. Turkmenistan then only needed to beat Papua New Guinea to guarantee a spot but came out cold as they fell behind

But they quickly found the shooter's touch to issue an ominous warning as Turkmenistan sealed a spot in Pool D alongside Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka.  

Ayna Gokova and Leyla Halilova were deadlier than a Singapore Sling as they lit up the half-court with a combined 51 points. 

 

The Players 

Yasuoka made it rain in Singapore with a lights out performance to finish with 18 points across two games. 

The 27-year-old  3x3 Olympian was feeling it with an insane array of jumpers as No.23 was the greatest on this day in a confidence boost as Japan seek a first Asia Cup triumph. 

In the women's, the towering 6ft. 3in (1.9m) Gokova was unstoppable with 31 points from 3 games. She was making a living in the paint and started her heroics with a huge 14 points over Guam to kick-start Turkmenistan's spectacular opening day. 

The 29-year-old didn't let up in the subsequent games to provide buckets whenever her team needed them and she also was the emotional leader to inspire mighty impressive Turkmenistan's day one charge. 

The Comeback

Indonesia women's team couldn't buy a bucket as they failed to take advantage down low against the smaller Korea, whose speed led to open layups and they were also money from downtown. 

Down 11-6 in the dying minutes, Indonesia were sparked by Dyah Lestari going bang, bang as they turned it around to score 9 straight points and book their ticket to the main draw. 

The Thrillers

Draw B proved to be more tense than the final sequence of Top Gun:Maverick with every game going down to the wire. Fittingly, it came down to Chinese Taipei and Thailand for a berth into the main draw and these desperate teams didn't disappoint under the lights. 

It was shot for shot leaving fans out of breath and on the edge of their seats but Chinese Taipei had the answers to prevail in a 20-18 thriller and keep their campaign in Singapore alive.  

Last but not least, Uzbekistan made it through in remarkable fashion when Artur Ovanesov put the cape on with a 2 in the dying seconds to force OT.

But Ovanesov outdid himself  when he hit the buzzer beater on a banked two to lift his team into the main draw and spark memorable celebrations. 

DAY 2 

Four men and three women's teams will qualify for the main draw on day 2. 

Men's

Draw C: Philippines, Indonesia, Jordan
Draw E: India, Turkmenistan, Palestinian Territory  
Draw F: Iran, Korea, Kuwait
Draw H: Sri Lanka, China, Tonga 

Women's

Draw A: Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Vietnam 
Draw B: Thailand, Philippines, Jordan 
Draw D: New Zealand, India, Palestinian Territory 


Watch Day 2 of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2022 on our YouTube channel. 

 

Where can I watch?

The action runs from July 6-10, and you can follow it live on TV and on social on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube, Facebook, Sina Weibo and Douyin pages.

FIBA