ANTWERP (Belgium) — The Netherlands are not here simply to defend their FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup crown. They are here to finish the season on top. The reigning champions took another step toward that goal on Day 2 in Antwerp for the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026, overcoming Azerbaijan and Ukraine to advance from Pool A, with Noortje Driessen once again at the heart of their campaign. For the reigning Europe Cup MVP, the formula has been straightforward: bring the physicality, find the rhythm and make every possession count.

The opening test against Azerbaijan was never expected to be simple. The two teams know each other well, with the Netherlands having beaten Azerbaijan in last year’s Europe Cup Final, and Driessen knew the danger the reigning runners-up posed.

“They have a lot of talented players who can make an impact individually,” Driessen said. “We knew we had to be ready from the very start.”

That focus was evident from the opening possession. The Netherlands made physicality a priority and, once their shooting found its range, began to pull away.

“At some point, we started finding our rhythm from beyond the arc and knocking down our two-pointers, which helped us create separation,” Driessen explained.

It was the kind of performance the Dutch will need as the pressure rises. Driessen herself hogged the spotlight with an historic performance against Azerbaijan, putting up 13 points. That tied the single-game record for most points scored by a women’s player in FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup history.

Every game in Pool A carried knockout round consequences, and Ukraine provided another physical challenge in the Netherlands’ final pool game. Driessen knows there are no easy routes at this stage of the competition.

“The stakes are high and there’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “We know we’ll have to earn every result, but we’re confident in our ability to get out of the group and advance to the next stage.”

That confidence is hardly surprising. The Netherlands arrived in Antwerp as defending European champions and one of the most established teams in women’s 3×3 basketball. Driessen, Janis Boonstra, Ilse Kuijt and Evelien Lutje Schipholt have already shared some of the biggest stages in the discipline, and their chemistry remains one of their biggest assets.

However, there is also a sense of occasion. After a long season together, the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup represents the final chance to add another banner to the collection, especially after the disappointment of the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Project Redwings Shanghai Final 2026 just a week ago.

“We want to enjoy the final tournament of the season because we’ve had a really good year together,” Driessen said.

Enjoyment, however, does not mean lowering the standards.

“Our goal is to fight for a medal, and we’ll do everything we can to achieve that. We want to finish the season on a high note,” she declared.

The Netherlands have now done their part in the pool phase. The real pressure begins on Sunday.

And if Driessen has her way, the defending champions will still be standing when the medals are decided.

Stay Connected

Follow all the latest action from the FIBA 3×3 Cups tournaments throughout the 2026 season by visiting the official FIBA 3×3 website, where you can find the latest news, star players and everything you need to know. Fans can also keep track of the Event Calendar and the latest FIBA 3×3 Individual and Federation Rankings as teams and players continue their push toward the season finale.

Want to learn more about 3×3 basketball? Explore the official FIBA 3×3 Rules to understand the unique fast-paced format of the game, or discover the FIBA 3×3 Competition Structure to see how the discipline’s global pathway connects grassroots events, professional tours and world-class international competitions.

FIBA

BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s under-23 3×3 basketball women’s national team secured an impressive runner-up finish yesterday in stop one of the Asia West/Pacific conference in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026, currently being played in Singapore.

The Bahrainis, featuring the quartet of Bayan Salman, Ninel Merkotun, Polina Sviatskaia, and JaMya Robinson, topped their preliminary round group after winning both their games against hosts Singapore and Saudi Arabia, but they then lost in the women’s final against Australia.

Their squad, coached by veteran Bahraini tactician Murtadha Mohammed, came away with 80 points following their classification in second place.

Yesterday’s action marked the first of six stops in the Asia West/Pacific conference of this year’s Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League.

The second will take place today until the completion of the series on Wednesday next week.

Teams earn points in each of the stops as they continue their qualification bids for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.

Also competing yesterday in Singapore were Bahrain’s under-23 3×3 basketball men’s national team, who finished their competition in fourth place.

Coached by Fiba 3×3 World Tour standout Bogdan Dragovic, the Bahrainis split their two fixtures in the preliminaries which were also against Singapore and Saudi.

Their one victory wasn’t enough, however, to book their berth in the men’s final.

Their squad features Ismaeel Alansari, Elyas Younes, Mishal Buhamood, and Mohammed Alanzi.

They came away with 60 points on their conference standings.

Bahrain’s delegation in Singapore is headed by Bahrain Basketball Association official Ahmed Elyas.

Both the women’s and men’s squads feature two other players for a total of six apiece, with Noor Najaf and Amina Hani also looking to lace up their sneakers for the women and Nasser Alanzoor and Hamad Faisal hoping to play for the men.

In yesterday’s opening stop, Bahrain’s women got their Pool A campaign underway with a 13-9 victory over Singapore.

Robinson scored five points to pace the nationals while Salman added four, Sviatskaya had three, and Merkotun chipped in with one.

The kingdom’s squad then followed that up with a 19-5 rout of Saudi. Robinson and Sviatskaya finished with seven points apiece in Bahrain’s victory, while Salman had four and Merkotun one point.

In the women’s final, however, Australia were too good and they held the Bahrainis to just eight points en route to securing the 21-point target.

Salman scored four for the nationals while Sviatskaya added three and Merkotun one.

Meanwhile, the men’s team lost their opening Pool A game to the home side Singaporeans 6-21, with Alanzi finishing as their leading scorer with just three points.

They roared back with a 14-11 triumph against Saudi as Alansari, Younes, and Buhamood had four points apiece, while Alanzi chipped in with two markers.

Australia went on to win the men’s final 22-18 against Singapore.

In today’s second stop, both Bahrain’s women’s and men’s teams are in Pool A of their respective competitions along with Saudi and Qatar.

They will each once again hope to top their division to qualify for today’s final.

patrick@gdnmedia.bh

WARSAW (Poland) – The Philippines may not be advancing to the knockout rounds of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026, but the Filipinas still left Warsaw with a piece of history.

Needing one final push after a challenging campaign, Gilas Women produced a composed performance to defeat Italy 17-13 and secure their first-ever victory at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup.

It was a breakthrough moment years in the making.

The Philippines entered the tournament still searching for their first win on the global stage after going 0-4 when they hosted the FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Manila in 2018. Their return to the competition in Warsaw brought another difficult challenge, with losses to Latvia, Germany and China leaving them with one final opportunity to make a statement.

And they took it.

The game was tight early as neither team could create much separation, but the Filipinas found their rhythm from beyond the arc midway through the contest. Camille Clarin sparked the charge with a series of long-range bombs, including a two-pointer that stretched the lead to 10-6.

Italy responded and fought back to within a point at 10-9, threatening to spoil the party. The Philippines, though, stayed composed down the stretch, making the key plays when it mattered most to close out a memorable four-point victory.

Clarin led the way with 8 points, all coming from behind the two-point arc, while veteran Afril Bernardino added 4 points and her trademark leadership.

For Bernardino, the result carried extra significance.

She was the lone remaining member of the Philippines squad that competed at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2018 in Manila. Eight years later, she helped guide a new generation of Filipinas to the country’s first win on 3×3 basketball’s biggest stage.

While the knockout rounds will move on without them, the Philippines leave Warsaw having achieved an important milestone in the continued growth of women’s 3×3 basketball in the country.

It may not have been the ending they dreamed of, but it was certainly a milestone worth celebrating.

FIBA