Ub, the winners again in Tianjin (Photo FIBA)
Top ranked Ub of Serbia returned to their winning ways at the FIBA 3×3 Tianjin Challenger.
After not winning their last two events, a rarity for this all-conquering Serb side, Ub were back to their brilliant best in Tianjin to claim their eighth title of the season, defeating the French side of Toulouse 21-19.
Superstar Strahinja Stojacic shrugged off an unusually quiet performance in Shanghai to put the cape on and walk off with another MVP to add to his collection, while muscular Nemanja Barac also had a terrific two-way tournament.
They showed off their New Gen with Vuk Vukicevic proving he is a star of the future having come in with plenty of hype following the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup.
Ub produced a vintage performance after thumping Valencia of Spain 21-6 in a pool game that finished well before the 10-minute time limit, while they also handily beat Lugano of Switzerland in the semis.
The spectacular Serbs did showcase their trademark grit to overcome Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) and Toulouse (FRA) in the knockouts as Ub resumed their dominance of the pro circuit.
The runner-up: Toulouse (FRA)
They were: No.2 highlights
Talk about returning back to form. The fabulous Frenchmen had not won a title since July and were last seen bitterly walking off the half-court after an early exit in Shanghai.
But they enjoyed themselves here and were led by their talisman Franck Seguela, who shrugged off a period of indifferent play with a brilliant campaign. He played with plenty of trademark French flair and finished No.1 in points (36) to issue a reminder that he was No.1 not long ago.
While their style is free-flowing, Toulouse have spades of grit as they showed by beating Lugano, Hangzhou (CHN) and Partizan (SRB) in thrillers. They couldn’t quite get over the line against Ub, but make no mistake that Toulouse is back in business.
The heavyweight contest between Ub and Toulouse was a dream final between the two top seeds, who have two of the top players in the world. And it sure lived up to the hype.
Foreshadowing what was ahead, Stojacic was in attack mode and he exploded for the contested layup before going bang in a fast start. He then banked home from close range to give Ub a 5-2 lead and their momentum continued.
Ub appeared to have the title wrapped up when young gun Vukicevic had a poster leading to Stojacic raising his arm in celebration. But the Frenchmen showcased a never-say-die attitude that had held them in good stead through the tournament.
They looked to superstar Seguela to get them going and he did exactly that by going bang before Hugo Suhard hit a two-piece to cut Ub’s lead to 15-13. But Stojacic took the game into his own hands, scoring Ub’s last six points to finish with a ridiculous 11 points and reinforce his credentials as the GOAT.
Having survived a titanic battle, the familiar winning feeling returned for Ub.
With third-placed Partizan already qualified, Ub, Toulouse and Lugano received tickets for WT Abu Dhabi on October 25-26.
Final Standings:
1. Ub (SRB)
2. Toulouse (FRA)
3. Partizan (SRB)
4. Lugano (SUI)
5. Baskets Bonn Telekom (GER)
Top Scorers:
1. Franck Seguela (Toulouse, FRA) 36 pts
2. Strahinja Stojacic (Ub, SRB) 35 pts
3. Stefan Milivojevic (Partizan, SRB) 32 pts
4. Mike Efevberha (Lugano, SUI) 30 pts
5. Nemanja Barac (Ub, SRB) 27 pts
