adminChina’s women’s 3×3 team is back on top of the world after a four-year hiatus. But first, they need to get past the United States.
The FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2023 Finals tournament kicked off today in Vienna, Austria. The 40-team field of 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams once again saw the dominance of Europe, with the Chinese Women’s National 3×3 Team being the only Asian team to reach the quarterfinals.
The Chinese Women’s 3×3 Team won the title at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang and then went on to win the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2019, establishing themselves as one of the world’s top teams.
After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international competition, China bounced back to win a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a title at the 2022 3×3 Asia Cup, demonstrating the power of the Chinese women’s 3×3 team.
With 2019 3×3 World Cup champion center Zhang Jiting (195 cm) providing a sure-fire height advantage over Europe’s taller players, China advanced to the quarterfinals after topping their group with wins over Israel, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania.
China’s quarterfinal opponent was Germany, ranked No. 2 in the world. It was an evenly matched game, with Germany grabbing five offensive rebounds against China. China struggled to find their stride against Germany, grabbing just one offensive rebound.
However, center Zhang Jiting’s performance gave China a 10-7 lead midway through the game, and Zhang and Zhang Yi added to the lead in the final minutes of the game, despite Germany’s foul trouble, to win 17-14.
The Chinese, who have been dominant on offense even against Europe, scoring 97 points in five games in qualifying and the quarterfinals, have also had a solid performance from guard Wang Lili, another member of their 2019 3×3 World Cup winning squad.
China’s quarterfinal opponent will be the United States, who will once again be gunning for the top spot. Comprised of Haley Van Rees and Cameron Blink, who are currently playing in the US NCAA Division 1, and WNBA players Sierra Burdick and Lina Harper, the Americans were swept by Canada in the preliminary round before defeating Australia in the quarterfinals to reach the final four.
China and the U.S. both failed to reach the final at last year’s 3×3 World Cup, but their performances this year have been some of the best ever.
Unlike the men’s game, the women’s matchup between China’s Zhang Jiting (195 cm), Siiva Burdick (190 cm), and Cameron Lee Blink (193 cm) will be a watershed moment for the team.토토사이트
China is the only Asian team, male or female, to reach the quarterfinals of the 3×3 World Cup.
China, which has stated that it cannot surpass the United States in 5-on-5, but is looking at the world’s top spot in 3-on-3, will find out if it can surpass the United States at the 3×3 World Cup and become the world’s top team for the first time in four years in the quarterfinals starting at 9:30 p.m. on April 4.