Jack Lizama, Preston Basa, Douglas Schmidt and Coby Santos of the NMI Men’s Team pose for a photo before their game against South Korea in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 in Singapore on Wednesday.
THE NMI men’s team lost to an Asian powerhouse, South Korea, 8-21, in their first FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup game in Singapore on Wednesday.
Korea started cooking early with a shot from beyond the arc followed by another to gain a quick 4-0 lead within the very first minute. A series of missed shots were made, but the NMI failed to grab any rebounds due to the Koreans’ size and strength. After two minutes of play, Korea was way ahead, 11-0.
Following a timeout, the NMI finally caught a break with Douglas Schmidt using his speed to slip past his defender and connecting a floater for the NMI’s first historic bucket. This was followed by a corner two-point shot to cut Korea’s lead, 3-13.
Schmidt sliced his way through for another bucket while Coby Santos delivered his first contribution from beyond the arc to further cut the deficit to seven points.
But the Korean players were more in sync as they used screens to create space and dish out passes to an open teammate, connecting a series of shots to maintain a safe distance and secure the win, 21-8.
“Our debut was definitely not what we wanted nor expected,” said Team NMI’s Preston Basa. “However, it was a great welcoming game for us. The intensity was something we needed to adjust to, as well as their length and defense.”
Basa added, “We did struggle at the start. As I said, we needed to adjust to the type of game that is played at this level. We reminded each other that it is the same game that we play. It’s just much more physical and we needed to match them…. Korea is a great team with all the assets needed to have a strong 3×3 team. Based on what we have watched, they look like the team to beat in our pool.”
Basa said for the NMI’s next game, which is against Sri Lanka, they will be better prepared mentally and physically given the experience of their debut game.
“We are looking to continue shooting the ball,” he said.
As for the NMI Women’s Team, they were scheduled to play their debut game against India on Wednesday evening.
