XIONG’AN (China) - Latvia (men) and the Netherlands (women) earned statement wins on Day 4 of the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup on September 20.
TEAMS
LATVIA (men)
After a perfect start to pool action on Day 2, the Latvians picked up where they left off tonight.
They delivered fireworks in a big-time clash against the United States to start things off, a high-flying battle with both teams going toe-to-toe. The action went to Overtime where Dāvis Skreivers nailed a fancy game-winner to close out a team-high 7-point game with the dagger, a 15 - 14 victory over the undefeated United States.
Having already clinched a Quarter-final spot, the Latvians took the action to Qatar and came away with yet another win, 21 - 11 with a tandem scoring effort from the whole squad. The side is locked in, unbeaten and feeling the momentum heading into knockout rounds tomorrow.
THE NETHERLANDS (women)
The Dutch have pedigree in this tournament, having medaled in the past two iterations of the competition. They came with the energy on day 2, coming away with two assertive wins. Tonight’s story was slightly different. The wins weren’t close, it was utter domination.
Taking on New Zealand in their first game of the day, they went all out, relentlessly putting the pressure on as they aimed to close off the action early. They finished with a 21 - 3 win, with Quinta Van Schijndel finishing as top scorer with 11 points.
They kept the pedal to the metal as they made easy work of Fiji, a 21 - 2 victory this time. Lotte Van Kruistum put up a whopping 12 points as the Dutch went perfect yet again without breaking a sweat.
It’s been the season of the Dutch in 3x3 so far, can they bring home Gold in yet another competition.
PLAYERS
PENGCHENG LU (China)
Talk about delivering when it matters.
China, after splitting results in their first set of pool games on Day 2, needed a perfect run today. They started off well with a dominant win over Fiji.
But it would come down to a must-win game against team USA. A winner-goes-through matchup with stakes sky-high. It wasn’t going to be easy. USA had stumbled earlier in the day but had been dominant in their first couple pool games. Not to mention the fact that China will only be fielding 3 players, a huge disadvantage.
When the time came, Pengcheng Lu answered the call. He was lights-out, creating problems for the American side from deep, while also not being afraid to take it straight to the paint. In a mammoth effort, Lu put up 11 points, including the game-winning free throws to hand China a historic win over team USA as they head into the Quarter-final with momentum firmly on their side.
ALICIA FLOREZ (Spain)
Spain finished pool play with a perfect 4-0 record, and at the helm of it all was Alicia Florez.
She controlled the proceedings in both their games on the day, having a breakout scoring game in a massive clash against team USA with 9 points in a 18 - 12 win. She followed it up with a floor general masterclass against the Philippines where she controlled the tempo for the Spanish side.
There was no denying Florez’ influence for the formidable Spanish side who look dominant as ever heading into the knockout rounds tomorrow.
QUARTER-FINAL MATCHUPS
MEN
CROATIA v ITALY
LATVIA v SERBIA
CZECHIA v CHINA
ARGENTINA v LITHUANIA
WOMEN
JAPAN v POLAND
NETHERLANDS v UNITED STATES
SPAIN v CZECHIA
FRANCE v CHINA
DAY 5
Medals will be earned tomorrow as we crown our FIBA U23 World Champions! Catch it all LIVE on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel.