Best ever FIBA achievement by Lankan cagers, Slovenia, Hungary bag overall titles | Daily News

Best ever FIBA achievement by Lankan cagers, Slovenia, Hungary bag overall titles

Sri Lankan attacker driving a lay up during women’s semi final match against Hungary
Sri Lankan attacker driving a lay up during women’s semi final match against Hungary

Sri Lanka men’s team-2 and women’s team-1 secured fourth places, earning Sri Lanka’s highest ever achievement so far at a FIBA event when the FIBA 3x3 U-23 Nations’ League 2017 concluded at the Kothalawala Defence University courts, Ratmalana yesterday. Sri Lanka Basketball Federation conducted the fourth and final legs of the tournament under the auspices of world governing body for basketball, FIBA.

The first, second and third legs of the tournament were held in Czech Republic, Netherlands and Hungary earlier this year.

Slovenia emerged men’s overall winners with an impressive 500 tour points (100 in each leg). They beat Netherlands 21/19 in the fifth leg final. Czech Republic secured the fifth leg third place and ranked at men’s overall second with 370 tour points (80+70+70+80+70). Netherlands became fifth leg second and settled for overall third place with 320 tour points (60+60+50+70+80).

Hungary reign supreme in the women’s overall rankings winning both fourth and fifth legs. They accumulated 420 tour points (80+80+60+100+100) and beat Netherlands in fifth leg final 19/9. Netherlands who became second in both fourth and fifth legs won the overall second place with 410 tour points (100+70+80+80+80). Czech Republic who became third in the final leg secured the overall third place with 400 tour points (70+100+100+60+70).

Six teams in two groups, namely ‘A’ and ‘B’ battled it out for supremacy in men’s and women’s categories of each leg. The FIBA 3x3 Individual world ranking was used to determine the teams’ pool seeding. Sri Lanka fielded two teams in each category and Lankan men’s team-2 was pooled in group ‘A’ along with Hungary and Czech Republic while their team-1 played in group ‘B’ with Netherland and Slovenia. Both Lankan women’s teams were slotted in the same group ‘A’ along with Netherlands while the women’s group ‘B’ comprised Hungary, Czech Republic and Jordan.

Lanka men’s team-2 only participated in two of the Sri Lankan legs where they placed fifth in the fourth leg. They earned 110 (50+60) tour points to be ranked overall seventh. But Lankan men’s team-1 who participated in all five legs was ranked overall fifth with 230 tour points (50+45+45+45+45). They were unable to impress in the fourth and final legs, remained at sixth in each of the final two legs.

Lankan women’s team-1 also secured the overall fourth place with 270 tour points (50+45+45+70+60). They emerged third in the fourth leg. Local women’s team-2 who only took part in two Sri Lankan legs earned 90 tour points (45+45) to be ranked sixth in each participated legs while securing the overall eighth place.

Lankan men’s team-2 beat fifth ranked Hungary in a tough battle (19/18) during the group stage, but went down to strong Netherlands 15/21 in the fifth leg crucial men’s semis.

Lankan women’s team-1 beat Jordan during the group stage, but was unfortunate to lost their battle against champion Hangarian lasses 3/21 after the semi final was postponed due to rain.


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