XI'AN, China (May 17, 2026) – In their second appearance of the season on the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Tour, Team Phoenix delivered a bounce-back performance and advanced all the way from the Qualifying Draw to Sunday’s final at the Xi’An Challenger in Xi’An, China.
In the final, DeQing (CHN) earned the 22-17 win over Phoenix behind efficient shooting.
DeQing, who shot 14-of-19 from inside the arc and 4-of-6 from 2-point, got going early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead before back-to-back buckets from Phoenix’s Devin Gilligan equaled things at three. DeQing responded with five straight points to take an 8-3 lead that they never relinquished. Team Phoenix got to within one, 12-11, with 4:14 remaining but never found the crucial basket to take the lead.
Malik Hluchoweckyj led Team Phoenix with six points in the final contest.
Even with the loss to DeQing, Team Phoenix took a big leap. The squad started the tournament in the qualifying draw as they did in Manila and, just like Manila, they breezed into pool play with two wins with victories, this time against Ashgabat (TKM) and Christchurch (NZE).
The similarities to Manila ended there. Team Phoenix opened Pool D with a 21-14 win over Barcelona (ESP), which was enough to qualify for the knockout rounds. They would qualify as the second team from the pool despite losing to eventual champion DeQing 22-18.
The squad opened knockout play with a 21-16 win over Bordeaux (FRA). Kyle Guy, in his 3x3 debut, led the way in that win with 10 points, including three during a crucial 6-0 run to put the Americans up 14-9.
The semifinal featured two U.S.-based teams with Phoenix facing Princeton. Phoenix fought for a 21-18 win behind another 10-pointn effort from Guy. Phoenix led 20-13 before a 5-0 run from Princeton ended at the hands of Hluchoweckyj as he snatched the coveted 21st point.
With the second place finish, Team Phoenix qualified for 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Amsterdam set for June 19-21.
A full recap can be found on usab.com.
For more information on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, click here.