TAIPEI (Taiwan) - Powerhouse Amsterdam Rabobank (NED) ended a frustrating title drought in style at the FIBA 3x3 Taipei Challenger 2025 on August 23-24.
Here is what happened in the 11th Challenger of the season. The winner: Amsterdam Rabobank (NED) They were: No.3 best shooting value
On the back of a fairy-tale 2024, Amsterdam's 2025 was turning into a year of continual frustration having been title-less from 10 events this season. But it was only a matter of time before they broke their drought and they did exactly that in the last week of summer in the northern hemisphere.
Amsterdam appeared set for an embarrassing early exit after losing to Taipei WanBao (TPE) in their opener but the defeat snapped them into gear. The Dutchmen defeated Shinagawa CITY EXE (JPN) to reach Day Two before overcoming Marijampole Mantinga (LTU) in the quarters.
Amsterdam were in the fight of their lives in the semis against Skyliners (GER) as they clawed back to force OT before Maarten Bouwknecht went bang to lift his team into the final.
Bouwknecht's confidence was through the roof and he was unconscious with a ridiculous 13 points in the final against rival Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU) to deservedly walk off with the MVP. He overshadowed superstar teammate Worthy de Jong, who still provided plenty of insane plays.
The runner-up: Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU)
They were: No.2 most points & best shooting value
The Lithuanians were led by a lethal performance from superstar big man Aurelijus Pukelis, who dropped a leading 42 points and had a top-player value of 50.9.
Pukelis came up clutch to down Lausanne (SUI) and ensure a perfect Day One for Raudondvaris Hoptrans before he outplayed young gun Fabian Giessmann with a monster 11 points and 9 rebounds in the quarter-final against Baskets Bonn Telekom (GER). Pukelis put up another double-double with 10 points and 5 rebounds in Raudondvaris' thrilling OT semi-final win over Hangzhou (CHN). Pukelis played another blinder in the decider but lacked support as the Lithuanians fell short of a third title of the season.
The Final: Amsterdam Rabobank 21-Raudondvaris Hoptrans 17
The top two seeds won through in a clash of rivals and this final more than lived up to the hype. In a sign of things to come, Bouwknecht went bang before you could blink and de Jong followed suit as Amsterdam started fast.
The Lithuanians needed to ignite and they went to a reliable source in Pukelis, who scored three quick points to get his side back in the game. But Bouwknecht was in heat check mode and he went bang, bang to lift Amsterdam to what appeared a comfortable dub.
Raudondvaris were seemingly down and out at 18-10, but Pukelis would not give up as he willed his team back into the contest.
With Amsterdam holding on to a 20-17 lead, Marijus Uzupis missed two free throws and de Jong made him pay with the layup as the Dutchmen finally celebrated a title for the first time in 2025.
The reward: Three tickets to WT Shanghai Amsterdam Rabobank, Raudondvaris Hoptrans and Skyliners qualified for WT Shanghai on September 27-28. Final Standings: 1. Amsterdam Rabobank (NED) 2. Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU) 3. Skyliners (GER) 4. Hangzhou (CHN) 5. Lausanne (SUI) Top Scorers: 1. Aurelijus Pukelis (Raudondvaris Hoptrans, LTU) 42 pts 2. Maarten Bouwknecht (Amsterdam Rabobank, NED) 39 pts 3. Milos Jovanovic (Hangzhou, CHN) 35 pts 4. Leon Fertig (Skyliners, GER) 32 pts 5. Filip Kaluderovic (Hangzhou, CHN) 30 pts Key Stats: - World Cup champion Carlos Martinez compiled a triple-five of 9 points, 6 rebounds and 6 highlights in Lausanne's pool victory over SG Marina Bay Jumpshot (SGN). - Leon Fertig had a monster game of 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 highlights in Skyliners' quarter-final victory over Lausanne (SUI). - Amsterdam Rabobank's semi-final victory over Skyliners lasted 12'44" in playing time to be the longest game of the tournament.
FIBA