How Australia's Gangurru women won a historic 3x3 World Cup silver
Showing great composure, unity and grit, the team built momentum as the tournament progressed and fought to the wire in the gold medal game.
Marena Whittle in action against the USA. Photo credit: FIBA 3x3
With only one win to their name after three games, the women’s Gangurrus team looked to be under the pump as they vied to return to the podium at this year’s FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Warsaw, Poland.
They may have only just survived the group stage, but this team, comprising Amy Atwell, Marena Whittle, Hannah Hank and Emma Clarke (and coached by Damon Lowery) were a resilient bunch with palpable chemistry. They didn’t just make it out of the pool stage, they came within one shot of winning it all.
Australia’s campaign began with a pool game against 10th-seeded Mongolia. While the 21-15 final scoreline looks relatively comfortable, this was probably Australia’s least convincing effort, and despite a size advantage and some flashes of slick ball movement, they struggled to close out the game. Hannah Hank set the tone for her tournament by relentlessly hunting mismatches and finished with nine points and six rebounds, while Emma Clarke’s dominance on the boards (nine rebounds) helped Australia win this stat 26-16, and the extra possessions went a long way towards the win.
