In Group C of the preliminary round of the 2025 Asian Basketball 3×3 Championship, Vietnam defeated Iran 19-16, Maldives 21-8 and Kazakhstan 22-12. The 19th seeded team will enter the main group stage to meet host Singapore (6) and championship candidate Japan (3) on March 28. Vietnam is at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength as the two opponents did not have to play in the qualifying round.
Before the match, the host lost to Japan 6-22, so they are forced to beat Vietnam in the match at 7pm local time (6pm Hanoi time). Although they are the higher seed, Singapore is considered to be lower than Vietnam.
Vietnam has American-born twins Truong Thao My (1.75 m) and Truong Thao Vy (1.73 m), along with Nguyen Thi Tieu Duy (1.74 m) and Bui Thu Hang (1.73 m). The team will face Lydia Ang Zi Yi (1.72 m), Han Xingyue (1.8 m) Jermaine Lim Jia Ying (1.68 m) and Choy Ting Tang (1.73 m).
In the first three minutes, Vietnam was down 2-4, before Thao My successfully threw two free throws to tie the score. From there, Vietnam created a streak of 14 consecutive points to lead 16-4. “It’s hard for any miracle to help Singapore turn the situation around,” said the commentator on the FIBA 3×3 homepage.
Singapore eventually scored six more points. Vietnam sealed the game with two successful free throws from Thao My to win 21-10.
This victory ensured Vietnam’s place in the quarterfinals. More than an hour later, the team faced Japan with a relaxed mentality. The opponent, who won the bronze medal in 2019 and twice finished fourth (2018, 2022), included Nishi Fatoumanana (1.75 m), Yuki Noguchi (1.73 m), Fuyuko Takahashi (1.64 m) and Aya Tsurumi (1.65 m).
Japan’s superior skill, especially in speed, made things difficult for Vietnam. The team had 9 situations of shooting outside the arc, but failed to make any. Meanwhile, Japan was successful in 4 out of 18 attempts. The opponent’s ability to get rebounds was also superior with 21 compared to 13, the number of times the ball was lost was only 3 compared to 10.
In the end, Japan won 17-10 to enter the quarterfinals as the top team. Japan will meet the second team in Group A, South Korea, in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Vietnam will meet the first team in Group A, the number one seed, China.
The quarter-finals take place on the afternoon of March 29.
The 2025 Asian Basketball 3×3 Championship will take place in Singapore from March 26 to 30. The tournament was first held in 2013 and is now in its 8th edition.