City of Wilmington, Delaware

  • WITN Live - Click Here
WITN Channel 22 Wilmington, Delaware

Search WITN22

BIG3 BASKETBALL TAKES DETROIT BY STORM FOR SEASON 3 OPENING GAMES

June 24, 2019

– Season 3 Opener Welcomes 14,235 Basketball Fans at Little Caesars Arena

And Airs to a National Audience Live on CBS –

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 22: General view of Little Caesars Arena during week one of the BIG3 three on three basketball league at Little Caesars Arena on June 22, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Big3/Getty Images)

 

DETROIT, MI – June 23, 2019

  • The BIG3 began its third season in front of an impressive Detroit crowd Saturday night, delivering 14,235 fans an evening full of hard-fought contests, impressive individual performances, several ejections, and a surprise musical performance.
  • Reigning BIG3 champion Power topped 3’s Company in a 2018 championship rematch to begin the season 1-0. The leading scorer across all of Saturday’s games, Cuttino Mobley, ended the evening with 28 points (including 5-of-7 on 3-point shots), six rebounds and four assists.
  • Expansion team Bivouac began its first season 1-0 behind dominant play from Detroit fan-favorite Will Bynum. Much to the arena’s adoration, the former Piston (six seasons for 8.4ppg, 3.4apg) scored 22 points in his BIG3 debut.
  • The opening night excitement extended far beyond the court. The three games were broadcast across CBS and CBS Sports Network, the first of many shown as part of the league’s new broadcast partnership with the storied network. Additionally, highlights from the season’s first three games were all over Twitter, with “BIG3,” “Cuttino Mobley,” and “Reggie Evans” showing up as national trending topics all evening.
  • BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube thanked Detroit for its continued support of the league with a halftime address and performance of “Today Was a Good Day.”
  • Official Week 1 attendance in Detroit: 14,235

 

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 22: Royce White #30 of Enemies scuffle against Josh Smith #6 of Bivouac during week one of the BIG3 three on three basketball league at Little Caesars Arena on June 22, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Big3/Getty Images)

 

Game Recaps:

Trilogy (46, 0-1) vs 3 Headed Monsters (51, 1-0)

Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSBPRQZRli4

The opening game of the 2019 BIG3 season saw 2017 runners-up 3 Headed Monsters exact revenge as they defeated inaugural champion Trilogy 51-46.

Reggie Evans, who led the league in rebounds in both 2017 and 2018, had a (3 Headed) monster performance with 22 points and 23 rebounds. Evans spent much of the evening hustling after missed shots and throwing down several big dunks. 2017 MVP Rashard Lewis returned from a season-ending injury in 2018 and looked sharp with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Trilogy’s James White and Patrick O’Bryant helped keep the contest close, contributing 17 points and seven rebounds, and 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks, respectively, for Trilogy.

In addition to the win, 3 Headed Monster Larry Sanders went home with another victory in his first BIG3 appearance. The third overall selection in the 2019 BIG3 Draft proposed to his girlfriend in front of a doting crowd. Her response was an enthusiastic yes.

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 22: Cuttino Mobley #5 of Power shoots over Jason Maxiell #54 of 3’s Company during week one of the BIG3 three on three basketball league at Little Caesars Arena on June 22, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Big3/Getty Images)

 

3’s Company (38, 0-1) vs Power (50, 1-0)

Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGCBMOV73VY

Power co-captain Cuttino Mobley was a force for Power Saturday night with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and five treys.

Despite yielding a 25-14 lead at halftime, 3’s Company’s Drew Gooden contributed several big shots, including back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half that helped close the gap to 22-27.

In the end, even a 4-pointer from captain DerMarr Johnson wasn’t enough for 3’s Company. Mobley and company returned big shot with a big shot – including a few back-to-back 3-point contributions. Chris “Birdman” Andersen added 10 rebounds in the winning effort.

After the game, Coach Nancy Lieberman lauded Power’s cohesiveness as she led her entire team, including Corey Maggette, to the postgame press conference. Last year’s MVP did not participate due to injury.

3’s Company is 0-1; Power is 1-0

 

Bivouac (50, 1-0) vs Enemies (43, 0-1)

Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpeSTzGh9rc

Two 2019 expansion squads closed out the night as Bivouac took on Enemies.

Tensions flared early as Enemies’ Royce White, the overall no. 1 overall pick in last month’s BIG3 Draft, and Bivouac’s Josh Smith exchanged words following a foul call on the former NBA All-Star. The back-and-forth escalated into some pushing and shoving, before the two were broken up. After a brief discussion, the referees ejected both first-year players for the night.

Several Bivouac players stepped up in Smith’s absence. Will Bynum, who called Detroit home for six seasons with the Pistons led the way with 22 points, including several determined drives to the basket. Anthony Morrow contributed to the win with 16 points and five rebounds. C.J. Leslie rounded out a solid team effort with nine points and nine boards.

Enemies’ Craig Smith, who looked like a seasoned 3-on-3 pro, put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Bivouac is 1-0; Enemies is 0-1

ABOUT BIG3

BIG3 (BIG3.com) is where basketball superstars play. The premier half-court, 3-on-3 basketball league, BIG3 features many of the greatest, most popular and skilled NBA players of all time. Founded by producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the BIG3 combines highly competitive, physical, fast basketball and incredible fan experiences.