Gangurrus wrap up World Cup with winning record

Representing Australia at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, the Taipans-led Gangurrus ended with a 3-2 record and reached the play-in before falling to eventual champions Spain.

Led by Adam Forde, the now familiar lineup of Alex Higgins-Titsha, Dillon Stith, Jonah Antonio and Josh Davey hit the court for their third tournament together, months after achieving gold at the Asia Cup in March.

Hitting the court in Pool A to face first seeded Serbia alongside Germany, Belgium and Madagascar, Stith looked to continue his tournament MVP form from the Asia Cup with nine points in his first appearance.

Whilst the forward piled on the points, Higgins-Titsha and Davey worked to clean up the boards, however early fouls cost the side who reached the crucial 10 team fouls with 2:40 remaining on the clock – handing opponents Germany two shots and possession for each subsequent foul.

After the Germans pushed themselves to a 17-21 win, the Gangurrus returned to the court shortly after to face the Serbians for a rematch after their single point overtime loss at the Champions Cup in March.

Trading blow for blow as the contest started, neither side was able to push themselves ahead with the lead unable to build past two points.

However, the fouls quick piled on for both teams, with Serbia reaching dangerously close to the 10 foul penalty – the same situation they placed the Gangurrus in at the Champions Cup – to give the Australians an upper hand.

Grabbing the opportunity, Antonio showcased his sharpshooting ability to drain three shots from range to push them clear of the Europeans, before the guard hit the game winner to bring his side to the match ending 21 points.

Now sitting 1-1 in their pool in third place, the Gangurrus had the 9^th and 20^th seeded sides ahead of them on the final day of pool games, with the Belgians their first opponent.

Leaning into the shooting of Antonio, the side fed him with the guard reaching nine points, whilst Higgins-Titsha went to work in the paint.

Once more pushing their opponents over the 10 foul penalty, the Australians secured a 21-15 win before turning their attention to Madagascar.

Whilst the 20^th seeded side entered after three crushing defeats to the other sides – including the first and ninth fastest losses across the tournament – they hit the court with urgency and build an early 1-4 lead.

Struggling to find their touch from range, the Gangurrus fed the ball inside as they chipped away at the margin and quickly levelled the contest.

Leaning into their shooting efficiency with Davey, Higgins-Titsha and Stith shooting above 70%, the Australians pushed ahead whilst Madagascar struggled to find their touch.

Inching ahead 20-19 with six seconds left on the clock, their opponents were able to draw a last second foul – resulting in two free throws with Australia in the bonus and handing them a game winning situation – before they missed both shots.

However, a lane violation and a quick foul handed Higgins-Titsha a chance to seal the game, with his made free throw handing the Gangurrus their third straight win and sealing second place in their pool.

Advancing to the play-in, Spain awaited them in their first matchup against the new-look Gangurrus.

In their first World Cup appearance since their 4^th place finish in 2016, the Europeans showcased their outside shooting with four of their first six makes coming from outside the arc, however they also conceded a series of quick fouls.

Reaching six fouls in just over four minutes, the Spanish side switched their style to not concede a single foul for the rest of the game, whilst their scoreboard continued to tick over, with Antonio and Stith attempting to match them.

However, with their shooting efficiency now at 38% – significantly less than Spain’s 88% – they were unable to close the gap, with the eventual champions securing a 10-21 win.

Ending the tournament with the most wins by an Australian men’s 3x3 side at the World Cup with three, they also finished as the second highest ranked Asian team with China the only team beating them after reaching the quarter-finals – also falling to Spain.

Finishing the tournament ranked equal fourth for points per game, Dillon Stith ended his tournament averaging 7.5ppg, 3.3rpg and an average player value of 9.0ppg (ranked equal eighth).

Alex Higgins-Titsha averaged 5.0ppg and 4.3rpg himself, whilst Jonah Antonio ended the tournament as one of only 12 players to shoot perfectly from the free throw line.