Canada closed out the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series in style, beating Japan 20-10 in the final to win the Takasaki stop and secure their second title of the season after Shanghai in May.

The top seeded Canadians dominated from start to finish, sweeping Pool A before defeating China 21-9 in the quarterfinal and Neftchi SOCAR 22-12 in the semifinal. Paige Crozon led the way against China with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Merissah Russell added eight points in the semifinal.

In the final, Canada took control early and never looked back, building a big lead before Japan mounted a late rally. The Canadians held firm to seal the 20-10 victory and take the title in Takasaki.

Russell was named Takasaki MVP after leading the tournament in player value (45.3) and drives (12), while ranking second in total points (32) and highlights (17).

Canada’s triumph provides a strong finish to their Women’s Series campaign, although they will not advance to the Project Redwings Shanghai Final in September.

BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s under-23 women’s and men’s 3×3 basketball national teams hit the half-court today in the first of six stops in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026-Asia West/Pacific conference in Singapore.

Bahrain are one of six nations taking part in both the women’s and men’s events.

The others are Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkmenistan, and home side Singapore.

The women’s national squad features top 3×3 players Bayan Salman, Ninel Merkotun, Polina Sviatskaia, JaMya Robinson, Noor Najaf, and Amina Hani.

They are coached by veteran Bahraini tactician Murtadha Mohammed.

The men’s team is composed of Ismail Kamal, Meshal Mohammed, Nasser Alanzoor, Mohammed Alanzi, Elyas Younes, and Hamad Faisal.

They are coached by Bogdan Dragovic, who is a player on the Fiba 3×3 World Tour.

The upcoming Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026-Asia West/Pacific events act as qualification for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.

Today’s opening stop is to be followed by the second tomorrow and the third on Saturday.

Following a rest day on Sunday, action resumes with stop four on Monday, with the last two stops taking place the next two days.

Teams earn points in each of the stops, which will lead to determining who qualifies for the worlds.

Both Bahrain’s women and men are in Pool A of their respective competitions today alongside Saudi and hosts Singapore.

Pool B features Australia, Qatar, and Turkmenistan.

The Bahraini women get their campaign underway against the Singaporeans at 11.10am before playing their Saudi counterparts at 1pm.

In the men’s competition, Bahrain first lock horns with the Singaporeans at 9.45am and then take on their Saudi counterparts at 1.25pm.

Bahrain’s teams must finish atop Pool A in order to advance to their respective finals, where they will take on the winners of Pool B.

The women’s title-decider is scheduled for 2pm followed by the men’s at 2.25pm. All times are Bahrain.