Singapore missed out on qualification for the quarter-finals of the inaugural FIBA 3×3 Lion City Challenger, finishing bottom of Group A after defeats to top seeds Antwerp and Bahrain’s Seef on the opening day at *SCAPE.

Singapore were handed a stern opening test against Antwerp, losing 12-21 to the Belgian side in their first match of the day.

A slow start allowed Antwerp to race into a 5-0 lead before Xu Duanyang got Singapore on the board with a two-pointer. Antwerp’s shooting from range proved decisive, with the visitors scoring five two-pointers in the match and keeping Singapore under pressure throughout.

Despite Singapore forcing turnovers and finding moments of rhythm, they were unable to sustain enough scoring runs to trouble the top seeds, who closed out the match comfortably.

Singapore delivered a stronger, more cohesive display in their second match against Seef as they sought to advance to the quarter-finals. 

The physicality of the Bahrain side, however, proved difficult to contain. Singapore racked up 10 fouls by the end of the contest as they tried to counter Seef’s strength and pressure, giving their opponents repeated trips to the free-throw line and easy opportunities to extend their lead.

While Singapore continued to battle and stayed within reach for stretches of the game, Seef managed the closing stages well to secure a 20-14 victory.

“Tough losses against tough opponents and experienced players. In the first game, I think we made it too open. By the time we caught momentum, it was already too late,” said head coach Lazar Rasic.

“The second game was definitely better and more competitive, but the foul problems affected our aggression in defence. This has happened in a few events, so it is something we need to work on. Overall, it was a good fight and a close game.”

Singapore’s other team, Lion City, fell short in the qualifying draw, losing 13-22 to Shibuya, who eventually advanced to the main draw, before going down 15-22 to Zavkhan.

“For their first showing, I’m satisfied with their performance, especially in the second game. Of course, there were moments when they were excited, stressed and under pressure, which they will need to overcome. They will need to play more competitions to catch up on this experience,” added Rasic. 

The FIBA 3×3 Lion City Challenger resumes tomorrow with matches starting from 4.20pm.

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TIME	MATCH
4.20pm	Antwerp vs Princeton
4.50pm	Valencia Basket vs Toronto
5.20pm	Bordeaux vs Taipei WanBao
5.50pm	Shibuya vs Seef
6.30pm	Semi-finals 1
7pm	Semi-finals 2
8pm	Final