Australia claim second consecutive FIBA U16 Asian Championship

DOHA (Qatar) - Australia beat Japan, 94-63, in the Final to claim the FIBA U16 Asian Championship title, while New Zealand defeated Lebanon in the battle for third place.

Australia won their second straight U16 Asian Championship title by beating Japan who were making their first ever Final appearance. Japan didn't back down easily and cut a double-digit lead down to only 2 points in the second half, but the Croc were relentless and went on a 48-19 run to close out the game. Australia had four players score in double-digits, led by Roman Siulepa who had 18 points.

Meanwhile, New Zealand also finished exactly where they were in 2018, claiming a third-place spot over Lebanon, 89-62.  

In the classification games, India capped off a historic campaign with their first win ever in the competition against Korea to finish fifth overall, 90-80, while Philippines came from behind to beat Iran, 95-87, and finished seventh.

Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Lebanon are qualified for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 which will be played in Malaga, Spain from 2-10 July.

The final standing of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2022:

1. Australia
2. Japan
3. New Zealand
4. Lebanon
5. India
6. Korea
7. Philippines
8. Iran

FIBA