ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Spain (men) and Poland (women) booked their spot to the knockout phase with dominant pool performances on Day 3 of the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup 2024 on September 13. 

TEAMS

SPAIN (men)

After a flawless start to pool play, Spain bookended their action in the group just the same. They started the day with a 21 - 12 victory over a hungry Egypt side looking to claw their way into the top standings. 

Gabriel Gil was money from deep as he put up 8 points, 6 of which came from beyond the arc. Fallou Niang was his assertive self in the paint yet again as he got 6. 

They booked their spot to the Quarter-final with a win over a contending French side. This time it was Isaac Mayo who led his team in scoring with 9. The result came through a grinded down effort on defense, limiting a high-scoring French team to just 9 points. An 18 - 9 result would take Spain to the knockout phase on day 5.

The German men’s team also finished with a 4-0 record, a high-flying win against Argentina followed by a thrilling OT result against Italy where Denzel Agyeman stole the show with a poster dunk winner. 

France and New Zealand also punched their ticket to the knockout phase. 

POLAND (women)

The Polish women came into day 3 with momentum with a perfect start to their campaign, and they rode the wave just the same tonight. They took on Germany in a marquee clash. Thanks to an offensive explosion through Julia Bazan and Klaudia Wnorowska who combined for a whopping 19 points, Poland came away with a 21-20 win in a thriller. 

They took on home side Mongolia next who found their shooting form early in the game. Poland’s grittiness and offensive stability kept them ahead as they came away with a 21 - 15 win to close out pool play with a 4-0 record. 

Another team to finish perfect would be Hungary who handled business against Ukraine and Austria. China and Germany also did enough to qualify for the knockout phase. 

PLAYERS

Fabian Giessmann (men)

The 19-year old German star was on yet another offensive tear. He dominated in the paint in their opener against Argentina, putting up a team-high 9 points. He repeated his heroics in an overtime win over Italy where he got 9 as well. 

He has proven to be unstoppable in the paint as he has played a huge role in Germany’s path to the knockout stage. 

Julia Bazan (women)

The Polish star was an engine for her side on both ends of the court. 

Her speed and incisiveness paved the way for their win against the German juggernauts, getting 9 points in the process. 

She ran the offense for her side yet again in a clash against home side Mongolia, making clutch plays down the stretch to lead her team to a perfect pool display. 

DAY 4

It’ll be Pool B and D that find out their fate tomorrow as we wrap up pool play ahead of day 5 action Tap in LIVE to catch it all.