After a highly competitive qualifying draw, Australia, Iran, South Korea and Uzbekistan qualified for the main draw of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, on Sunday.
According to FIBA website, Iran was the last team to qualify on the men’s side and did it in dramatic fashion. With superstar Mohammad Jamshidi down with an injury, the team survived a ping pong win-or-go home game against Uzbekistan without sub.
As the game went to overtime, 27-year-old big man Masoud Soleymani dived to the basket on a pick-and-roll to give Iran a 20-19 win and a ticket to Pool B with China and South Korea.
The big matchup of the day was the clash of the undefeated men’s teams in Pool A between South Korea and Uzbekistan. The game went back and forth, however South Korea’s 1.80-meter dragster Minsu Park broke out to score a game-high 12 points. South Korea won 20-17 advanced to the main draw, where it will face China and Iran in Pool B.
Australia’s men had showed their dominance throughout the QD, and why stop on the last day? In its final game against Samoa, the team caught fire from behind the arc, with 16 of 21 points coming from the great beyond. The team will be back on the deck on Monday in Pool D against Kazakhstan and eternal rival New Zealand.
On the women’s side, Australia cruised to the main draw with a perfect 3-0 record following their 21-8 win over Samoa. The team will face Japan and Iran in the main draw. Uzbekistan had better luck on the women’s side, as it also had a clean sweep in Pool A. Next on the menu: a meeting with Jordan and Indonesia.
FIBA Asia 3x3 Championships had its inaugural tournament in 2013 in Doha, Qatar. In the championship are two events, men’s and women’s. Each team has four players (three on court and one substitute). The match is played on a half court and every rule applies as well as a 12-second shot clock and clearance needed on a new possession.
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