SHENZHEN (China) - Australia defended their FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup by beating China in the Final, 96-79, at the Longhua Cultural and Sports Center, Sunday night.
Saffron Shiels starred with 31 points and 15 rebounds as the Gems kept their mastery of the same team they beat in the 2022 competitions in India to claim the throne.
Monique Bobongie supplied 23 points and 7 rebounds, while Monique Williams and Bonnie Deas chipped in 12 points apiece and combined for 10 rebounds as the crew leaned on collective effort in beating Zhang Ziyu and the hosts.
Zhang finished with 42 points and 14 rebounds and eventually bagged home MVP honors, leading the tournament's All-Star Five that also consisted of teammate Xu Peilin, Aussies Shiels and Lara Somfai, and Kokoro Tanaka of Japan.
Tanaka helped Japan salvage a bronze-medal finish for the second consecutive time as they defeated Korea in the Third-Place Game, 69-54.
Tanaka led the way with 22 points. Riona Matsumoto supplied 11 points and 5 rebounds, while Sakura Horiuchi and Himeka Sone delivered 10 points apiece.
Australia, China, Japan, and Korea have all qualified to the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2025 set to take place in Czechia.
FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2024 final standings:
1. Australia 2. China 3. Japan 4. Korea 5. New Zealand 6. Chinese Taipei 7. Malaysia 8. Indonesia
FIBA