Mongolia sent a packed and booming home crowd in a frenzy on Saturday, when they bucked the odds and stunned USA, 18-15, in a massive win to punch their ticket to the FIBA 3x3 World Cup Semi-Finals in style.
Khulan Onolbaatar stepped up to the plate once more and delivered under the bright lights, scoring eight of her nine points from the 2-point line. Onolbaatar also accounted for four of Mongolia’s six 2s against USA.
Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene scored five along with five boards, while Nandinkhusel Nyamjav also added four for Mongolia, including the last two free throws in the final 1.7 seconds to keep the game out of USA's reach and seal the momentous win.
It’s an upset of monumental proportions for the 10th-ranked Mongolia, who had to fight their way through the Play-In Round with a huge, gritty win vs. China before stunning the USA, the fifth-ranked team in the world.
“It still feels unreal,” Onolbaatar said. “This is the best team in the world and then we beat them in the Quarter-Finals in front of our home crowd. They were so amazing.
“I cannot describe it in words,” she added. “But we’re not done. As Steve Sir says, we’re hungry for two more tomorrow. Our magical run continues.”
USA came into the matchup as favorites after sweeping pool play at 4-0, but Mongolia's defense poise under high-stakes pressure made them a dangerous draw -- and that's exactly how it played out vs. the Americans, where some stifling work off-ball and a ton of composure proved to be the key as the game progressed for Mongolia.
After an Onolbaatar to give Mongolia a 10-6 lead with 5:20 left gave the crowd at Sukhbaatar Square a reason to erupt, USA crawled back and kept it a tense affair behind leading scorer Sarah Strong, who fired 11 points to keep her squad within striking distance along the way.
A Strong post-up tied it at 15 apiece with 34 seconds left, but an Onolbaatar bucket off a a broken play with 18 seconds left gave Mongolia some breathing room for a lead they would not relinquish up until the final buzzer. A key stop in the final possession prevented USA from tying things up, while Nyamjav's steady hands at the line for two free throws later iced the game for Mongolia
Timely 2s every time USA made a push kept the Americans at bay. Facing a significant size advantage in the paint, the Mongolians leaned on their shooting from the 2-point line, where they scored 12 on 24 shots while taking just a total of eight shots inside the arc. USA, in contrast, attempted just eight 2s and went 11-for-23 in the paint.
Mongolia will now head on to Sunday to face Poland in what should be a highly-anticipated Semi-Final matchup set at 17:25.

Published Date:2025-06-29