ABU DHABI, UAE (Oct. 29, 2023) – Team Miami won their second FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters event of the season, taking the title in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and moving one step closer to qualifying for the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final in December. Miami, fresh off representing USA Basketball and winning gold at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, has recorded four top-2 World Tour finishes.
Led by tournament MVP Jimmer Fredette, Miami went 5-0 on the weekend.
The title game against Serbia’s Partizan was close until it wasn’t. A fight for points on both sides in the first 5:00, Fredette used his shooter’s touch to bring Miami’s offense to life.
The game was tied at 9 with 5:26 to play before the BYU product unleashed from beyond the arc, hitting three 2-pointers in the span of 30 seconds to take Miami to a 15-11 advantage with 4:33 to go. For good measure, he added one more 2-pointer less than a minute later to give Miami an 18-12 lead. A trio of 1-point shots took Miami to the 21-13 victory.
Fredette exploded for 12 points, his second 10-point outing of the weekend, hitting 5-of-7 from 2-point range and adding four key assists.
The semifinal vs. Lausanne Sport (Switzerland) featured a gutsy Miami performance to take the 21-19 win and a spot in their fourth 3x3 World Tour final of the season. The back-and-forth contest was within less than three points through the duration, with both teams trading leads and seeing several ties.
Miami led 19-16 on a Jimmer Fredette 2-pointer with Lausanne immediately responding with a 2 of their own. Fredette went on to score a pair of 1-pointers for Miami’s last four points and to secure the win. Fredette’s seven points led Miami with Dylan Travis and Canyon Barry pitching in five each. Travis also had seven rebounds, accounting for half of his team’s total.
Knockout play began with Team Miami and Team Omaha, both representing the United States, facing off in the quarterfinals. Miami proved to be too strong from the outset and cruised to a 21-13 victory to seal their spot among the final four.
Barry made Miami’s offense go with a game-high nine points, including the game-winning free throw with 2:15 still showing on the game clock.
To qualify for the quarterfinals, Miami survived a comeback scare from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to take a 21-19 decision behind a game-best 11 points (5-6 1FG, 2-6 2FG, 2-4 FT) from Fredette. The Americans led by as many as six and held an 18-14 edge with 2:05 remaining. From there, San Juan went on a 4-1 run to take the advantage to 19-18 Miami with 1:22 to go. The game was at 20-19 Miami just 19 seconds later when Fredette made a highlight reel 1-pointer to cap the win with 48 seconds showing on the clock.
Miami began pool play Saturday against Pirot (Serbia), making their 2023 World Tour debut and earned a nail-biting 16-15 win as time expired. While the squad struggled from 2-point range, hitting just one from long, they hit 14-of-17 shots from 1-point. Both Kareem Maddox, the team’s leading scorer, and Barry were perfect under the arc. Maddox contributed six points and eight of Miami’s 15 rebounds. Barry added five points.
Different than 5-on-5, 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-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious; or if time expires then the team leading wins.