Australia complete FIBA U16 Asian Championship three-peat after exciting Final win

DOHA (Qatar) - Australia beat New Zealand, 79-76, in the Final to claim the FIBA U16 Asian Championship title, while China defeated the Philippines in the battle for third place.

Australia won their third consecutive U16 Asian Championship title by beating New Zealand who were making their first ever Final appearance. It was a Final to remember between the two rivals that was only decided in the final seconds. Australia were led by Dash Daniels who scored the basket to give his team the lead for good and finished with a team-high 17 points to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks.

After also winning the U16 Asian Championships in 2018 and 2022, Australia are the second team after China to have won three consecutive titles. Both teams are tied for the most U16 Asian Championships won in the history of the competition with three titles each.

China claimed their sixth podium finish in the competition with a win over the Philippines, 87-59.

In the classification games, Japan finished in fifth with another comeback win over Iran, 73-71, while Qatar completed a historic run to seventh with a win over Jordan, 97-75.

Australia, New Zealand, China, and the Philippines are qualified for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 which will be played in Turkiye from 29 June to 7 July.

The final standing of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023:

1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. China
4. Philippines
5. Japan
6. Iran
7. Qatar
8. Jordan

FIBA