The women's 3x3 cagers came just shy of a semi-final spot. Photo: SpexSG/ Damrongsak Angsuworapruek
Singapore’s 3x3 women’s captain Matilda Lai has been honing her individual skills since last December’s SEA Games, growing more confident in taking shots.
Her work behind the scenes paid dividends at Kinjo Futo Station Square, where she was Singapore’s top scorer with 26 points across five games.
The women’s team of Lai, Denise Choo, Lim Lek Kar and Cassandra Tay saw their impressive run in Nagoya come to an end in the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by the Philippines after being beaten 22-12 on Thursday (Sep 24).
Having set an initial goal of making the semi-finals, Lai was reflective in her assessment of the team’s debut at the Games.
“Daring to take more shots is just one of the goals that I achieved here. There are still many more things I need to work on.”
“It has been a good experience. With the type of opponents we faced, it’s very good practice for us and to see where we stand in Asia.”
“We need to work on our physicality, but we are going in the right direction.”
The team opened with a comprehensive 21-13 win against Indonesia on Monday (Sep 21) before losses to Thailand (14-8) and the Republic of Korea (22-13).
A spirited display in the play-in round against Kazakhstan saw them grind out a 14-11 win for a place in the last eight.
Describing that victory as their best performance, Lai said: “Everyone was really focused and gave their best. We showed good hustle and never gave up.”
For Tay, the competition gave her a taste of the intensity at this level of the game.
“It’s a really good experience as I am not used to such physical battles. This competition definitely brought us together more and helped us understand each other better.”
Meanwhile, it was a painful exit for the men’s 3x3 quartet of Ching Zhen Yu, Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Zahid, Liam Blakney and Michael Kesevan-Kankam.
The team started the group stage with promising displays, pushing Japan all the way in a 21-17 loss, preventing 2026 FIBA Asia Cup runners-up Republic of Korea from scoring 21 points (19-14) and trouncing Thailand 21-10 to book a play-in berth on Thursday.
“The best match was definitely Thailand. We brought the aggression to them, and we played our style. We were fast, we drove and shot the ball. I think that’s the best we showed here. Against Korea, we showed our defensive abilities. We gave them the closest fight in the group stage,” Zahid said.
But the gut-wrenching 20-16 defeat to 2022 bronze medallist Mongolia drained the boys of their momentum and spirit, leaving them to rue what could have been.
“This is not our standard, and we came out soft. This is a win-or-go-home game, and we responded so badly,” captain Ching said. “We played so well in the group stages, even though we had two close losses to Korea and Japan, we showed that we can play amongst the best in Asia… But this is 3x3, if you don’t show up one day, you're gonna lose, and that's what happened today.”
“I have to use this as a learning moment because it hurts. But that's where you really learn, and it really exposes a lot of your character,” he added, still reeling in the aftermath of the elimination.
The team came into the Games off the back of encouraging form with a FIBA Youth Nations League bronze in August, even beating U23 World Cup bronze medallist Australia 21-17 on one of the stops.
Usually a member of the senior squad, Ching was also part of the team that finished sixth out of 12 on their Commonwealth Games debut in July.
And with the Games being an Under-23 competition, only Zahid would be able to compete at the next edition.
“That's very unfortunate because this is the only chance we have in our lives to play at the second-highest level of competition in the world, just below the Olympics, and we gave it away,” Ching said, adding that the team’s goal was a place on the podium.
But after the dust settles, the players will hold on to the positives from their time in Nagoya.
No one more so than Zahid, who only transitioned to this format eight months ago.
“I think I have improved a lot in my physicality and perimeter defence,” said the 19-year-old, who had 4.5 rebounds per game.
“Every single competition is a learning opportunity to see where I am lacking and what I can improve on. In the next four years, I want to be the best I can. Hopefully, at the next Asian Games, I can play and deliver a medal for Singapore.”
The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.