SABAIL (Azerbaijan) - Emerging Latvia continue to make a mark on the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series 2025 after a memorable triumph in Sabail.
Here's what happened at the 13th stop of the season on August 23-24. The winner: Latvia In a scary sign for opponents, Latvia are moulding into a women's powerhouse with their young gun side adding a second title after a triumph in Baku. Latvia clearly enjoy playing in Azerbaijan as they recovered from an early stutter against CS Rapid Bucharest (ROU) to go all the way.
After edging past Zagreb (CRO) to make Day Two, Latvia then went up a level in the knockouts with a decisive victory over Czechia before outlasting Netherlands U25. They had the daunting task of playing all-conquering Netherlands in the final but Latvia played the game of their lives to stun the No.1 seed with a decisive dub.
Scoring machine Ketija Vihmane cemented her status as one of the very best players on the planet with a lights out display to deservedly walk off with the MVP as a new force rises in women's 3x3.
The runner-up: Netherlands
The Netherlands were unable to add a fourth title to their utterly dominant season, but ensured they reached the final for the fifth time in six stops. While their hiccup in the end was a rare disappointment, the Dutchwomen were utterly invincible before that as they held three opponents to 8 points or less.
Their masterpiece was a 21-8 thrashing of host Azerbaijan in the semis that well and truly silenced the home crowd. Superstars Noortje Driessen and Janis Boonstra, the two top ranked players in the world, proved they are the best one-two punch on the planet as the Netherlands once again went on a deep run before ultimately falling short.
The Final: Latvia 21- Netherlands 13
Sporting a crazy 25-3 win-loss record heading into the final, top seed Netherlands were hot favorites but Latvia entered extremely confident having upset them in the decider of the Baku Stop.
The Netherlands were out for revenge with Driessen finding her range with an early two. Latvia were not overawed with Vihmane scoring three quick points to prove that her team would not roll over like the Netherlands' previous opponents.
The Netherlands struggled to contain the ball movement of Latvia, who picked apart the top defense in the world. Latvia maintained a buffer and the expected push from the Netherlands never really came as an unconscious Vihmane shut the door with a two piece before powerful Marta Miscenko finished it off down low.
Latvia have become the bogey team for otherwise unbeatable Netherlands, with Vihmane the standout in a game full of stars as she finished with an insane 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 highlights.
Final Standings: 1. Latvia 2. Netherlands 3. Netherlands U25 4. Azerbaijan 5. CS Rapid Bucharest (ROU) Next Stop: The W Series will journey to Debrecen on August 29-30.
FIBA