NY Harlem Falls in FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals Quarterfinals
Struggling to score over the game's final four minutes, NY Harlem (1-2) fell 21-16 to two-time defending champ Novi Sad (Serbia) in Saturday's quarterfinals matchup at the 2020 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Featuring the 12 top ranked 3x3 teams from this season's FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2020, the 3x3 World Tour Finals were held Dec. 18-19, and NY Harlem was the lone representative from the U.S.
NY Harlem's roster at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals featured Marcel Esonwune (New York, NY), Dominique Jones (Harlem, NY) and Joey King (Eagan, MN) and David Seagers (Bronxville, NY).
Novi Sad, which has won four 3x3 World Tour titles overall (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019), was defeated 18-15 by Riga (5-0) who went to claim the 3x3 World Tour Finals championship with a 21-20 win over Liman (4-1). With its elimination in the quarterfinals, NY Harlem finished in sixth place in the final standings.
The two long-time 3x3 rivals battled evenly during the game's first six minutes and following a pair of successful free throws by King, NY Harlem and Novi Sad were all even, 12-12. Over the next 2:30 Novi Sad went on a 7-1 scoring run to open a 19-13 lead and sealed the 21-16 victory with a short jumper by Tamás Ivosev with 23.6 seconds remaining in the game.
NY Harlem struggled with its shooting in the game and finished making just 30.0% (9-30 FGs) from the floor, while Novi Sade sank 53.6% (15-28 FGs) of its attempts from the field. King led NY Harlem offensively, recording 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. Seagers added three points and Jones finished with two points.
The pinnacle of the 3x3 professional circuit, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour in 2020 featured four competitions: Debrecen Masters (August 29-30), Hungary Masters (Sept. 1-2), Europe Masters (Sept. 4-5) and Doha Masters (Nov. 20-21).
Played on a half court with a 10-minute clock, and a 12-second shot clock, the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner. Olympic fans will see the the inclusion of 3x3 in the Tokyo Olympic Games next July.
