SINGAPORE - China (men) and Japan (women) withstood tough competition to finish perfect on Day 3 of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2025 on March 28.
TEAMS
CHINA (men)
The men from China came in with a new-look side, but didn’t take long to find their rhythm.
They took down Chinese Taipei in their pool opener 21 - 10. Dianliang Zhang put up a team-high 7 points, complemented by an evenly spread offensive output from his teammates.
Their biggest test came in their second game of the day against India, who had been the team of the tournament so far on the men’s side. Coming in with a perfect record in the qualifying draw and picking up a win against Chinese Taipei themselves, the game would decide who will earn top spot in Pool B.
In what was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams upping the stakes with spectacular moves, India’s Arvind Muthu led his side offensively, scoring two free throws to level the scores at 19 apiece. With the game on the line, Hanyu Guo drilled a cold-blooded two pointer to hand China a statement-making win and the top spot in pool action heading into the knockout stage.
New Zealand also went 2-0 to earn top pool spot, joined by India and Qatar who earned qualification to Quarter-Final as well.
JAPAN (women)
Speaking of statements, Japan did just the same on the women’s side.
They started out with a dominant 22 - 6 victory over home side Singapore. Sharpshooting Fuyuko Takahashi went off for a blistering 10 points, going 4/4 from deep, including the game-winning two ball. Fatoumanana Nishi contributed 9 points as well, as the duo took control of proceedings early and never let up.
They took on Vietnam next who came into the tie with a ton of buzz. Led by the Truong Twins who have had a storied collegiate career together in the States, the side finished pool play perfect and defeated Singapore as well earlier in the day.
In what was touted to be a tight contest with little separating the sides turned out to be a comfortable win for Japan. Defensively, they figured out their opposition early and stifled them from gaining momentum.
Nishi and Yuki Noguchi combined for 15 as they secured a 17 - 10 result, heading into the knockout phase riding high.
China also finished at the top in their pool. Both teams will be joined by the Republic of Korea and Vietnam as the contingent so far that will compete in the Quarter-final.
PLAYERS
Te Tuhi Lewis (New Zealand)
New Zealand with their new-look roster came into Singapore and showed out. A perfect 2-0 record in pool play and the bucket-getting Te Tuhi Lewis led the charge.
He put up 10 points in their 21 - 15 win over Vietnam, scoring 3 from deep while also managing to get contact and putting their opposition in foul trouble.
He went off for another 10-point outburst in a close win against Qatar.
Lewis was firing on all cylinders, carrying momentum forward into Quarter-final action.
Mengyun Zhou (China)
China finished top in pool C and the offensive display of Mengyun Zhou proved to be the X-factor.
In a narrow 18 - 17 loss to New Zealand in their opener, she put up 7 key points in their eventual place in the pool. They faced a strong Republic of Korea side next where they picked up a 19 - 12 win, of which Zhou scored 10. Her 17 points on the day led China to the top spot heading into the knockout rounds.
DAY 4
We wrap up pool phase tomorrow with the remaining sides battling for the last 8 spots in the knockout stage. It’s all high-stakes action coming up, tune in LIVE to catch all the action on our YouTube channel!