Singapore missed out on qualification for the quarter-finals of the FIBA 3×3 Singapore Challenger after defeats to Amsterdam RABOBANK and Seef in Pool A on the opening day of competition.

Singapore endured a difficult opening match against Amsterdam RABOBANK, going down 22-10 to the Dutch side. The hosts struggled to find their rhythm early as Amsterdam took control and steadily built their advantage. 

Singapore responded with a much-improved performance against Bahrain’s Seef in their second game of the evening, but were edged 17-16 in a closely fought contest.

The hosts looked far more settled, with captain Nur Aufa Emil finding his range from beyond the arc and hitting a string of two-pointers as Singapore built a four-point advantage. 

With victory needed to keep their hopes of progressing alive, Singapore remained in front heading into the closing minutes, but Seef fought back to overturn the deficit and snatch a one-point win.

“The second game was much better. We had a four-point lead, so to blow it wasn’t good, but we did much better than the first game,” said Aufa.

“There was much smoother movement, much better defence. We just need to put a lot more thought into the game now. One of the things to improve on is the mental focus – being able to stay mentally ready one hundred per cent no matter how tired we are.”

Despite the results, Aufa said the opportunity to compete against high-level international opposition on home soil was significant for the team and fans.

“It’s quite a big opportunity. A lot of people got to experience high-level basketball, not only the players but the fans as well. They get to see the kind of competition we are playing against and that these are top-ranked players. It’s exciting, and hopefully we can have more of this in Singapore. We look forward to playing like this again.”

The FIBA 3×3 Singapore Challenger continues tomorrow, with the quarter-finals from 4.20pm.