The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team will be sending four players to represent the program at the 2018 USA Basketball 3x3 Open National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado over the weekend.
New Mexico selected a mixture of veterans and new arrivals to make the trip. Antonio Anderson, Jaisa Nunn and Madi Washington all saw playing time for the Lobos last season, while Aisia Robertson sat out after transferring to UNM from Kansas to satisfy NCAA rules.
The collection of players will make up one of 12 teams that will compete for a chance to represent the United States at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup this summer in Manila, Philippines.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Jaisa, Madi, (Antonia) and Aisia," head coach Mike Bradbury said in a release. "We are expecting a lot out of all four of them next year, so this will be a great way to play against some high-level competition. For Aisia, this is a great chance to play competitively after sitting out last season. I know they are all excited.”
In 3x3 play, the games are 10 minutes long, with three players on the court for each team at a time — the fourth serving as a substitute. The shot clock is 12 seconds and each team has one 30-second timeout to use. The games will played at half court.
Point-scoring is also different than the traditional game, with baskets from inside the arc counting for one point, and shots made from what would normally be 3-point range counting for two. The first team to reach 21 points is declared the winner or by the squad that is ahead at the end of the 10-minute period — whichever occurs first. If overtime is necessary, the first team to score two points wins.
Four other universities will join UNM in sending 2018 FIBA World Cup hopefuls to Colorado Springs. Colorado University, University of Denver, University of Washington and the University of Oregon each have teams slated to play in the competition.
Notable names that will play for teams not representing a specific university include Arike Ogunwobale of Notre Dame and Napheesha Collier of the University of Connecticut. The event is schedule to take place on April 20-21.
Cameron Goeldner is a sports beat reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer and softball, but also contributes content for baseball, basketball, football and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @goeldfinger
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