Liman and Ljubljana set to square off again at Ulaanbaatar 3x3 Challenger

ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) – Liman (SRB) and Ljubljana (SLO) are set to resume their rivalry at the Ulaanbaatar Challenger on June 8 and 9.

The powerhouses met in the pool stage of the Chengdu Masters with world No.7 Ljubljana prevailing 20-18 in a classic shootout.

Ljubljana, seeded No.2 in Ulaanbaatar, were knocked out by Amsterdam in the quarter-finals in Chengdu after they were unable to recover from the loss of injured big man Blaz Cresnar.

Sasa Zagorac, who helped Slovenia memorably win FIBA Eurobasket 2017, will replace ‘Birdman’ and play alongside brother Zelimir.

 

World No.2 Liman are the favorites in Mongolia and will be aiming to return to their winning ways after losing to nemesis Riga Ghetto (LAT) in the semi-finals in Chengdu.

They are set for a big boost with the return of star Stefan Stojacic, who has been injured for the past couple of months and missed the opening two Masters.

 

It is a deep field in Ulaanbaatar with Zemun (SRB) and Humpolec Bernard (CZE) rounding out the top four seeds meaning four of the top 10 teams in the world will be on show.

There are six Mongolian teams in the 16-team tournament headlined by No.6 seeds Ulaanbaatar. Two Australian teams will feature, including Wst Melbourne Stateside who made their Masters debut in Chengdu and almost knocked off Riga Ghetto (LAT) on Day 1.

The winner in Ulaanbaatar takes home $15,000 USD and there is $32,000 overall in prize money - a significant increase from $20,000 in challengers last year.

The two top teams will earn tickets for the Saskatoon Masters on July 20-21 in the fourth stop on this season’s FIBA 3x3 World Tour.

Amsterdam (NED) and Piran (SLO) have already qualified for the event in Saskatoon.

Follow the Ulaanbaatar Challenger live on the official FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel.

 

 
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