The topflight teams from Europe were the ones who made a mark in the second day of the 2018 FIBA Women’s 3X3 World Cup, Saturday as Czech Republic and Russia emerged as leaders of their pools.
Czech Republic, led by Romana Hejdova and Romana Stehlikova, collected a 2-0 card in convincing fashion, scoring identical 22-11 results over the likes of Indonesia and Turkmenistan.
Clocking in at second is Italy despite carrying also a 2-0 slate. Behind Rae Lin D’alie and Giulla Rulli, the Italians scored a 22-9 win over Malaysia and a 22-10 triumph over Turkmenistan.
“We got a lot of work to do. We’re just getting to know one another right now,” said D’alie. “I’m really proud of the team.”
The Malaysians come in at third with a 1-1 record, with their win coming from Indonesia, 21-14. Indonesia and Turkmenistan rank fourth and fifth, respectively, with similar 0-2 records.
Meanwhile, Russia is also carrying a 2-0 card to place high in Pool C.
The Russians, anchored by Liudmila Sapova, displayed their might, as they limited opponents Uganda and Andorra to just single digits — 22-8 and 21-9, respectively.
World powerhouse USA is behind Russia in the standings, but they also have a 2-0 record. Similar to the Russians, the Americans flat out dominated Iran, 21-7, and Andorra, 21-6.
The Ugandans are at third with a 1-1 record, while the Iranians and Andorra are at the bottom as they both failed to win their two assignments.
Marielle Giroud of Switzerland is still the topscorer of the women’s division with 20 points. Italy’s Rulli though was the second day’s leading scorer as she collected 18 points.
