ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (Sept. 7, 2025) –. Team Miami took the court in Sansar, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, looking to win their first FIBA 3x3 World Tour Challenger of the year. While the team fell short of their goal, eventually losing 21-18 to Partizan (Serbia) in the final, they qualified for the FIBA 3x3 Shanghai Masters.
Miami began play in Pool A by taking on Seef (Bahrain). The game started close, with the teams knotted at seven points apiece with 6:04 left. From there, Miami locked in and used hot shooting to go on a 13-3 run, taking a 20-10 lead with 1:41 left on a Henry Caruso free throw. Miami eventually closed out a 22-12 win.
Using the momentum they picked up in the latter stages of the opener, Miami opened their second Pool A match against Barcelona (Spain) on a roll. Mitch Hahn’s bucket with 7:28 left gave the Americans a 7-2 advantage. Barcelona fought back, cutting the American lead to 12-10 with four minutes left. Like they did against Seef, Miami closed strong, this time with a 9-1 surge as they shot a flawless 7-of-7 from 1-point range.
Miami took to the knockout stages on Sunday, facing off against Carolina (Puerto Rico) in the quarterfinals. After back-and-forth buckets to begin the game, a 2-pointer from Hahn gave the Americans a 10-5 advantage with 7:28 left. Carolina was never able to launch a run of their own to cut into the lead, with Miami winning 21-14. James Parrott recorded a game-high eight points on a perfect 8-of-8 mark from 1-point range.
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) presented Miami with their toughest test to date in the semifinals. Ulaanbaatar jumped out to a 7-1 lead with just over two minutes played. Miami slowly worked their way back into the game, cutting the lead to 15-13 on a Hahn shot with 2:13 left. Miami used a late push to tie the game at 16 with 45 seconds left. They got a couple of clutch stops before Hahn’s bucket with no time remaining broke the deadlock as Miami squeaked out a 17-16 win and advanced to the final.
Miami matched up against Partizan in the final, eventually falling 21-18. The game was as close as it could be throughout the first nine minutes, with nine ties. Parrott’s 1-point shot knotted the game again at 16 with 1:17 remaining. From there, though, Partizan shut down Miami’s offense and hit shots of their own as they grabbed a 20-16 advantage with 13 seconds remaining. Travis hit a 2-pointer with five seconds left, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the eventual Sansar Challenger winners.
By virtue of their second-place finish this weekend, Miami has qualified for the 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Shanghai Masters Sept. 27-28 in Shanghai.