THE Shinjuku Givers composed of Esther Ibeh, Tumi Takakuwa, Mizuno Naho and Milai Mori celebrate after beating Uratex Dream, 21-8, to rule the Cebu Hustle 3x3 late Sunday at the SM Seaside City in Cebu.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of cebu
Shinjuku Givers took home the inaugural Cebu Hustle 3x3 crown, running away from undermanned Uratex Dream with a methodical 21-8 domination in the finals on Sunday at SM Seaside City.
Esther Ibeh got things going before Yumi Takakuwa went berserk as the Japanese club went on a blazing 9-0 start and never looked back.
Takakuwa, a former Uratex Dream import, dropped six points while Ibeh was unstoppable with her seven markers and five rebounds to take home the Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as Shinjuku secured the $3,000 cash prize.
"We fought from the beginning until the end and I'm very happy that we got the win and I got to show my skill," said the Nigerian center who admitted it was her first time playing 3x3 basketball.
She was joined in the Mythical Three by Uratex Dream's Renzhu Li and CT Tigers' Kiri Endo.
Mizuno Naho added four points as Milai Mori sealed the triumph with a booming corner deuce with 1:31 to spare in this tourney.
It also completed a perfect run for the Givers after topping Pool A in day one and overcoming fellow Japanese team Maurice Lacroix, 14-9, in the quarterfinals and a thrilling 21-19 win over Endo and the CT Tigers of Thailand in the semis.
