University 3x3 Basketball Rivalries Thrive in Dunedin

The pace and power of 3x3 basketball lit up the Edgar Centre, as a National Tertiary Championship event was held in Dunedin for the first time in UTSNZ’s short history. Rivalries were reignited as Lincoln University’s grip on the women’s title was tested, as was the University of Canterbury men’s recent reign of dominance.

Saturday morning’s late start time of 11am suited the student-athletes, as some arrived early to get warm but most enjoying a relaxing morning. In the women’s tournament, defending champions Lincoln got over some early jitters against Victoria to win first up, then recorded two dominant victories over Canterbury and AUT to finish the day undefeated.

In Pool B, the top seeded University of Auckland women took a hit in the lead-up to the event as New Zealand representative Dominique Stephens withdrew with injury. This made the 2024 runners-up from Waikato the clear favourites for the pool and they matched that expectation by defeating the dangerous Otago squad first up, then cruised to victory over Massey and Auckland.

Men’s Pool A was the tightest group at the tournament, as Lincoln, Massey and Waikato all recorded two wins from their three games. The final positioning came down to the slimmest of margins, as Lincoln topped the group by scoring 1 point more than Massey, who scored 1 point more than Waikato.

In Pool B the defending champions from Canterbury were typically accurate, finishing the day undefeated while AUT made a strong start to the tournament beating Otago and Victoria to end the day’s play with two wins and a loss.

The women’s quarter-finals went to script, as the higher seeds progressed to the semi finals comfortably. The Lincoln women were pushed hard by the local Otago team to win by two points, while Waikato were equally tested by Canterbury in winning 18-16. The grand final match-up was a replay of 2024, this time however the Waikato women repeatedly made big plays with Mayako Taingahue shooting the lights out to claim the gold with a 22-15 victory.

Thanks to the Pool A congestion, the men’s quarter final round was carnage as both Waikato and Otago defeated their higher-ranked opponents. Waikato snuck past Lincoln in the first semi-final 20-18, while Otago went down to the Piet van Hasselt-coached Canterbury in a gritty battle, 17-12. This put 3x3 heavyweights Canterbury and Waikato against each other in the final, with both teams playing with power and accuracy across both days. Despite star guard Zach Hannen taking a heavy fall mid-way through the match, Canterbury showed poise and control to end up 22-16 winners and champions yet again.

A huge thanks to the contributions of staff from Unipol at the University of Otago, Basketball Otago, and the Edgar Centre for hosting this event in Dunedin for the first time in UTSNZ history. See a list of all award winners including the men’s and women’s Tournament Teams below.

Spirit Team: University of Waikato Men

Women’s Results:

1st University of Waikato
2nd Lincoln University
3rd University of Otago
4th University of Canterbury
5th University of Auckland
6th Massey University
7th Victoria University of Wellington
8th AUT

Tournament Team:
Kate Herman - Lincoln University
Kayla Manuirirangi - University of Waikato
Mayako Taingahue - University of Waikato
Elise Gilbert - University of Otago

Men’s Results: