Commonwealth Games 2026: Basketball Breakthrough as Men’s Team Secure Knockout Berth

Singapore's men's 3x3 cagers continue their Commonwealth Games journey after clinching a play-in berth against New Zealand. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Singapore's fledgling 3x3 basketball programme continues to gather momentum as the quartet of Ching Zhen Yu, Faizal Zahid, Nur Aufa Emil Putra and Xu Duanyang carved yet another piece of history, progressing past the pool stage on Monday (Jul 27, Glasgow time) on their Games debut.

They will have the mammoth task of facing No.1 seeds New Zealand in the play-in round for a spot in the semi-finals.

But for team captain Nur Aufa and his team, who have been “playing every game like it’s their last”, they will look to bring intensity and hustle to that key clash – having secured the knockout berth by virtue of scoring 88 points across five pool matches, which put them ahead of Kenya’s 82 points.

Buoyed by the men's historic SEA Games silver medal last December, both the men's and women's teams have left no stone unturned in their bid to be Games-ready for their debut in Glasgow.

Earlier this month, they immersed themselves in one of basketball's strongest ecosystems, with head coach Lazar Rasic taking them to his native Serbia for a training camp before testing themselves against seasoned European opposition on the professional circuit.

The men's team produced several encouraging performances, pushing Serbian powerhouse Novi Sad to a 21-20 defeat and losing 18-17 in overtime to Stockholm at the FIBA Novi Sad Challenger. They also battled to narrow losses against Serbian outfits Arandjelovac 3x3 and Srbija Mix at the BG 3x3 League x Bulut Hoops.

The women also showed signs of progress, recording an impressive 16-10 victory over Belgium at the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series stop in Bucharest before a spirited 18-17 overtime loss to Czechia in Baku.

Pitting themselves against bigger and more experienced opposition in the lead-up appears to have paid dividends at the SEC Centre, with the men's team opening their charge with a hard-fought 19-16 victory over Kenya on Saturday (July 25, Glasgow time), holding their nerve in the closing stages to secure a crucial first win.

Xu attempting a layup against Kenya. Photo: Commonwealth Games Singapore/ Lim Weixiang

They held a slender 17-15 advantage over the towering Kenyans, who had an average height of 1.97m compared to Singapore’s 1.89m average, in a gripping opener when, with less than 30 seconds remaining, Xu drove into the paint and coolly buried a high-arcing hook shot over his marker. Kenya responded immediately, but Xu's smart game management drained precious seconds off the clock before Zahid broke free to meet Nur Aufa's looping pass, putting the finishing touches on a crucial first win.

Zahid starred in Singapore’s second group match against Jamaica, leading the team in scoring with 10 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while also contributing five rebounds.

They looked on course to claim a second victory, but Jamaica’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc proved decisive, with Malik Lawrence Anderson draining a game-winning two-pointer with just over a minute remaining to wrap the match up at 22-20.

Singapore's third outing ended in a 21-15 defeat to Causeway rivals Malaysia, whose roster is stacked with players who ply their trade in the Major Basketball League Malaysia.

Xu tries to drive past England's Evan Walshe. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

But even after two deflating defeats and with an early exit looming, Nur Aufa insisted that “our energy never drops from our previous games; it just gets higher and higher”.

“As a leader, I have to be more responsible for the tempo that our team goes at,” the 24-year-old added during a post-match interview.

And so on day two of competition, the Singaporeans responded emphatically, brushing aside Fiji 21-7 to keep their knockout hopes alive.

They then gave defending champions England a stern test, racing into a 3-0 lead and remaining within striking distance for much of the contest. But England's class eventually told as they pulled away for a 21-13 victory.

“The minimum expectation is that we always hustle... chasing rebounds and doing all the things that do not show up on the stat sheet,” Aufa said.

The captain dusted himself off after taking a nasty elbow to the face early in the game against England.

Nur Aufa attempting to block a shot by England's Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Meanwhile, the women’s quartet of Han Xingyue, Jermaine Lim, Matilda Lai and Lydia Ang started their campaign against favourites and 2022 silver medallist England, falling to a 22-7 loss but bounced back later in the day with a comprehensive 21-8 victory over Papua New Guinea.

They wrapped up their first day of competition with a 21-15 loss to hosts Scotland.

Captain Han stressed the importance of focus and a never-say-die attitude as they headed into their remaining pool matches.

“We need to adapt faster as our opponents are all very different. We need to remember our strategy, keep reminding each other of our game plan and follow through throughout the game,” the 25-year-old added.

Han attempting to get past Tonga's tight defence. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

On their second day of competition, the women’s team took the game to Tonga, with the contest finely poised at 9-11 with less than a minute remaining. However, missed opportunities from the free-throw line and a scuffed lay-up allowed Tonga to hold on for a 14-10 victory.

They then pushed 2022 semi-finalists New Zealand all the way, drawing level at 9-9 before eventually succumbing to a 22-16 defeat, which put them fifth in the six-team table.

Despite an early exit, the women's team gained invaluable exposure against international opposition. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Lim was among the tournament’s top performers in free-throw shooting, recording a perfect 100 per cent conversion rate from all five attempts while also leading in drives with 11. The team recorded a tournament-high 25 drives, seven more than their closest competitor, England.

Lai also impressed, ranking sixth in two-point shooting percentage at 43 per cent, while Han finished joint-second for blocked shots with five.

Results aside, both teams’ maiden Commonwealth Games experience will serve as valuable exposure ahead of the Sep 19 to Oct 4 Asian Games, where the 3x3 basketball competition will be contested by Under-23 teams.

The 23rd Commonwealth Games are held in Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August 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.