Aussie Women Make 3×3 History

The Australian Women’s team, the Gangurrus, have made history at the FIBA 3×3 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.

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

The Ladies started their World Cup run strong after claiming two straight wins over Poland and Japan.

A tough game against Germany fell short for Australia, but a win against Egypt saw them finish first in their pool and advance straight to the quarter finals, where they defeated Spain 17 -10.

The women took on the reigning World Cup Champions in the semi final and sadly fell to France 21-17. However finished very strong by defeating China and claiming the bronze.

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 defence 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.”

The Men’s 3×3 squad put up a strong fight, but unfortunately did not advance to the finals after suffering losses to USA and the 2021 Olympic champions Latvia.