FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger: Bengaluru INBL team fails to make it past qualifying draw
After losing the first game to Riga 14-22, the Bengaluru team - comprising Benjamin Michael, Suresh N, Sunil S & Sumanth S - did well to bounce back with a thrilling 18-17 win over Sagamihara.
This year’s INBL 3x3 champion team Bengaluru participated in the FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon 2023 Challenger event held in South Korea, on October 2 and 3.
The event serves as the qualifier for the Wuxi Masters - which is part of the elite FIBA 3x3 World Tour.
The Bengaluru team was in Qualifying Draw A - alongside Latvia’s Riga and Japan’s Sagamihara.
After losing the first game to Riga 14-22, the Bengaluru team - comprising Benjamin Michael, Suresh N, Sunil S and Sumanth Sathyanarayan - did well to bounce back with a thrilling 18-17 win over Sagamihara.
However, with only one side from the Qualifying draw progressing to the main pool, it was Riga that moved on to the next round.
The Indian team, initially seeded 15th, finished with a final standing of #13.