Bahrain teams left frustrated in 3x3 tournament
Bahrain’s under-23 men’s and women’s 3x3 teams experienced contrasting fortunes in Stop Four of the Fiba 3x3 Youth Nations League 2026 Asia West/Pacific conference yesterday in Singapore, with the women securing another third-place finish while the men placed fifth.
The women, coached by Murtadha Mohammed, split their two Pool A contests, bouncing back from a 16-10 defeat against hosts Singapore with a dominant 21-4 victory over Saudi Arabia.
Polina Sviatskaya led the kingdom’s scoring against the hosts with six points, while Bayan Salman contributed three and Jamya Robinson added one.
Singapore made the stronger start and raced into a 7-2 advantage before Bahrain worked their way back into the contest.
The Bahrainis reduced the deficit to three at 13-10 following a two-pointer from Sviatskaya with just over a minute remaining, but the hosts scored the final three points to seal the win.
Bahrain responded emphatically against Saudi Arabia, leading from start to finish and reaching the 21-point target with 55 seconds remaining.
Salman spearheaded the rout with eight points, Sviatskaya added six, Ninel Merkotun scored four and Robinson chipped in with three.
The result earned Bahrain third place for the second successive stop, having also occupied the final podium position in Stop Three following runners-up finishes in each of the opening two events.
Singapore progressed to the women’s final from Pool A, but the Aussies maintained their stranglehold on the competition with a 21-11 victory to capture a fourth successive Stop title.
Bahrain’s men, coached by Bogdan Dragovic, were also competitive in both of their Pool A encounters but came away empty-handed following defeats to Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
They made a flying start against the hosts, racing into a 6-1 lead before Singapore gradually fought their way back.
The scores were level at 11-11 with less than three minutes remaining, but the Singaporeans took control down the stretch to secure a 17-12 victory.
Nasser Alanzoor and Mohammed Alanzi scored four points apiece for Bahrain, with Elias Abdulla adding three and Mishal Buhamood one.
The Bahrainis then pushed Saudi Arabia all the way in their second outing, recovering from an early deficit to move 10-8 ahead midway through the contest.
The Saudis responded with seven of the next eight points to turn the game in their favour at 15-11, but Bahrain refused to go away.
Alanzoor led a late charge and scored three points in the final 15 seconds to cut the deficit to 19-17, before Saudi Arabia struck with two seconds remaining to close out a 20-17 win.
Alanzoor finished with a game-high nine points, while Buhamood scored five, Alanzi contributed two and Abdulla added one.
The result left Dragovic’s men fifth in the Stop Four standings, while Saudi Arabia advanced to the final, where Australia powered to a 22-6 victory.
The Gangurrus have now swept all eight men’s and women’s titles across the opening four stops in Singapore.
There will be little time for Bahrain to dwell on yesterday’s results, with Stop Five getting underway today and both teams drawn in Pool A.
The men face Qatar at 8.55am Bahrain time before meeting Saudi Arabia again at 12.35pm, giving them an immediate opportunity to avenge yesterday’s narrow defeat.
Mohammed’s women also take on Qatar in their opening contest at 10.20am before facing Saudi Arabia at 12.10pm.
The Pool A winners will progress to today’s finals, with the women’s title-decider scheduled for 2pm and the men’s final following at 2.25pm. All times are Bahrain.
With only two stops remaining, the teams continue to collect points towards qualification for the Fiba 3x3 U23 World Cup, which will be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.
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