USA Opens 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup With Two Victories
· 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup Schedule
· 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup Box Scores
The USA Basketball 3x3 Men’s National Team kicked off the 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2-0 with victories over Austria, 21-17, and Slovenia, 22-9, on Tuesday at the Groenplaats in Antwerep, Belgium. The USA joins Belgium at the top of the Pool D standings as both teams won their first two games.
USA opened pool play with a tight game against Austria. The game came down to the final moments when Austria tied the game at 17 after going on a 6-2 run over the course of two minutes. However, Kidani Brutus had the hot hand and closed the game with back-to-back two’s to seal the win with 45 seconds remaining.
Brutus was 5-for-10 on two’s in the game, including another back-to-back set in the opening moments of the game. His final stat line for the contest was a game-high 11 points and two rebounds.
James Parrott made his USA Basketball debut with nine rebounds in the game. The USA 3x3 newcomer’s first field goal came on a driving layup at the rim.
The second game for the USA featured strong offensive performances from Dominique Jones and Khalil Iverson.
Jones, the USA Basketball 3x3 veteran, dazzled the crowd with a mixture of two-pointers and strong finishes at the hoop. He shot 6-for-11 overall for nine points to go with five key assists.
Iverson was a force on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. His seven points, all one-pointers, came on strong finishes or on dunks. His interior presence saw him grab a game-high nine rebounds as well as blocking two shots.
The schedule for the second, and final, day of pool play will see the U.S. take on Belgium (11:30 a.m. ET) and Egypt (2:35 p.m. ET) on Thursday, June 23. The contests will be streamed on www.youtube.com/fiba3x3.
Different than five-on-five, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. Play is continuous, as teams “clear” the ball behind the 2-point line following a made basket, defensive rebound or steal. The first team to score 21 points via 1-pointer field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious; or if time expires then the team leading wins.
