BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s under-23 women’s 3x3 basketball national team secured an overall top-three finish yesterday in the Asia West/Pacific conference of the Fiba 3x3 Youth Nations League 2026, which came to a close in Singapore.
The kingdom’s squad secured their place on the women’s podium after taking fourth place yesterday in the conference’s sixth and final stop.
They split their two games in Pool B of the preliminary round – first routing Gulf rivals Qatar but then losing to Australia, who dominated conference action by winning all six stops and finishing with an unbeaten record.
The Bahraini women took to the half-court yesterday with the quartet of Bayan Salman, Polina Sviatskaya, Noor Najaf, and Amina Hani.
They came away with 60 points to finish the week with a total of 440 for third – just 10 points behind overall runners-up and hosts Singapore and with Australia in first place with a perfect 600 points.
Also yesterday, Bahrain’s under-23 men’s 3x3 basketball national team went down fighting in their two Pool B clashes against Singapore and Australia, finishing the stop in last place.
The Bahrainis battled with their quartet of Naser Alansoor, Mishal Buhamood, Mohamed Alanzi, and Hamad Faisal.
Yesterday’s results earned them 45 points to take fifth overall amongst the six competing nations with a total of 320 points to end the week-long conference in Singapore.
Australia’s men finished first with 570 points after winning five of the six stops, while Saudi followed on 450 – which included a victory in the fifth and penultimate stop – and Singapore third on 440 points.
With the completion of conference action, both Australia’s women and men’s teams punched their tickets to the Fiba 3x3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.
In yesterday’s play, Bahrain’s women opened their schedule for the day with a crushing 22-3 victory over Qatar.
Salman top scored for the nationals with nine points, while Sviatskaya added six, Hani had four, and Najaf finished with three.
The Bahrainis allowed just one of their Qatari opponents to score in the game.
But following their impressive win, the nationals were defeated in a 3-21 loss to Australia.
Sviatskaya and Salman were Bahrain’s only two players to score in the contest with two points and one point, respectively.
Australia went on to beat Saudi in the women’s final 21-15.
On the distaff, Bahrain’s men began their last day on court with an 8-21 loss to the home team.
Alanzoor had five points for the Bahrainis, while Buhamood, Alanzi, and Faisal finished with a point apiece.
In their next outing, the nationals battled hard to salvage a win against the Australians, but lost 15-21.
Alanzoor scored six points, Faisal had five, and Alazni added four.
Australia and Saudi also met in the men’s final, with the Australians winning 21-15.
At the end of all the action, the prize ceremony took place, with Bahrain’s women joining their podium in third.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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