BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S Riffa battled into the quarter-finals yesterday in the season-opening event of the Fiba 3x3 World Tour 2025, currently being held in Utsunomiya, Japan.
The Fiba 3x3 World Tour is the premier street basketball series, held under the banner of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba). It is set to make 15 stops worldwide this year, with the series finale set to be held in Bahrain this November.
Riffa are Bahrain’s squad competing in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour, which features the best streetball basketball teams from various countries, each representing cities.
Riffa secured their place in the Japanese tournament’s knockout stage after finishing second yesterday in Pool B. They split their two assignments – first narrowly losing to Toulouse of France 18-21, but then bouncing back with a resounding 21-13 win over London of the US.
They thus advanced to the last eight as runners-up behind the French. They will next play in today’s quarters Amsterdam RABOBANK from the Netherlands, who won both their fixtures in Pool D.
The other match-ups in the opening knockout phase see Ub of Serbia take on Raudondvaris Hoptrans from Lithuania, Toulouse play Vienna from Austria, and Miam from the US take on Partizan from Serbia.
In their first game yesterday against Toulouse, Riffa fell behind 5-10 early on but managed to tie the game and take a slim 12-11 lead following two Vic Van Oosterwyck free-throws. A Jonas Foerts basket then made it 15-12, but Toulouse roared back and baskets from Hugo Suhard and Jules Rambaut put them on the verge of victory. Their clinching basket was then buried by Franck Seguela from the charity stripe with over a minute-and-a-half still to play.
Van Oosterwyck was Riffa’s leading scorer with seven points in the loss, while Dennis Donkor added five and both Foerts and Caspar Augustijnen contributed three points apiece.
Riffa then put that disappointing result behind them with a strong performance against London. A Van Oosterwyck basket gave them a 10-8 edge and then a 6-2 run, capped by a Foerts two-pointer, put them firmly in control at 16-10. London never recovered from there, as Van Oosterwyck scored to give Riffa the 21-point target with 29 seconds remaining on the clock.
Foerts led the way with nine points while Donkor had six and Van Oosterwyck and Augustijnen finished with three apiece.
Should Riffa defeat Amsterdam RABOBANK today, they will take on the winner between Ub and Raudondvaris Hoptrans in the semi-finals.
This year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour culminates with the season-finale in Bahrain on November 21 and 22. It will be the first time ever that the kingdom will be staging the curtain-closer, in which this year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour champions will be crowned.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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