Aussie Women Make 3x3 History

Monday, June 5, 2023

The Australian Women's team, the Gangurrus, have made history at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup by claiming a bronze medal.

A game-winner from Marena Whittle sealed a famous win for the Aussies, who defeated the fourth-seed China, 21-20 in the bronze medal game.

The Ganrurrus came into the tournament as the 19th-ranked team, highlighting an incredible performance against the odds.

Whittle ended as the leading female scorer across all nations in Austria, scoring 70 points across seven games.

“China is an amazing team and when we were down, we were talking to each other saying ‘we can still do it, tough defense and get the rebounds’ we do it up and it went in. We had Anneli [Maley] getting the rebounds and that’s what gets us extra possessions – it was amazing,” Whittle said.

“Our coach Damon (Lowery) gives us all confidence to make buckets down the line, it’s great having my teammates back as well and I know they’re behind me on every shot I take.

“I love my country, I love playing for the Gangurrus and I love every single one of our girls including our squad back home, I love you all and I can’t wait to bring this medal home.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? Australia are your FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2023 ?BRONZE MEDALISTS? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3WC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3x3WC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BasketballAus</a> <a href="https://t.co/xzWpKkgEiN">pic.twitter.com/xzWpKkgEiN</a></p>— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/1665382596627533824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Daniel Johnson was the star for the men's team, finishing fourth amongst all scorers with eight points a game, despite an early exit in the group stages.