Lausanne amaze on Day 1 at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters
LAUSANNE (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) - Team Lausanne maintained a perfect 2-0 record on Day 1 of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters on August 25 2017.
Lausanne entered the competition seeded ninth however they played like a number 1. In their first game, they handily beat Paide (EST) (21-13) and some Top 5 worthy dunks from the athletic Natan Jurkovitz.
Lausanne next faced a David vs. Goliath match-up against the number one 3x3 team in the world Novi Sad Al Wahda (UAE). With the momentum of the crowd, the Lausannois gave the first seed their first loss at the World Tour this season (17-14).
FIBA 3x3 World Tour newcomer Team Riga Ghetto Basket lived up to their hype in Pool B. Despite missing Edgars Krumins and Karlis Lasmanins, two members of the squad whom won the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2017 title. They ran through an early game against Logatec (SLO) with a score of 22-10. Even against a talented Zemun Master (SRB), team top scorer Janis Antrops led Riga's strong offense to end the game at 21-11.
With a little help from Day 1 top scorer Michael 'Money in the Bank' Hicks, Krakow R8 Basket (POL) won Pool C going 2-0 against Mestre (ITA) and Spilt (CRO).
Pool D owned the game of the day between Cergy (FRA) and the Lausanne Masters 2016 winners Saskatoon (CAN). Saskatoon led by 2 points with 1 minute left until Amara Sy hit a 2-pointer to send the game into overtime 18-18. His younger brother Bandja closed the deal for the Frenchmen with a clutch two-pointer.
This forced the Canadians into a must-win situation for the final game of the evening. In a very competitive and gutsy match, Saskatoon lost to Kranj (SLO) 19-16 thereby eliminating them from the tournament.
In the Shoot-out Qualifier, Janis Antrops (Riga Ghetto Basket), Dejan Pejic (Zemun Master), Steve Sir (Saskatoon), and Matic Urbas (Logatec) qualified for the Shoot-out Contest Final.
Lausanne (SUI) vs. Cergy (FRA)
Krakow R8 Basket (POL) vs. Zemun Master (SRB)
Riga Ghetto Basket (LAT) vs. Split (CRO)
Kranj (SLO) vs. Novi Sad Al Wahda (UAE)
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