Flawless Australia soar to historic first FIBA U17 Women's World Championship title

ZARAGOZA (2016 FIBA U17 Women's World Championship) - A rampant Australia claimed a historic first-ever title at the FIBA U17 Women's World Championship in Zaragoza after storming to victory against Italy.

The Sapphires stayed perfect and swept aside their rivals 62-38 as they locked down the Italian offense and nullified their much heralded frontcourt. Yet again it was a sensational team effort, with guard Monique Conti scoring 18 points, captain Jasmine Simmons finishing with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds and Ezi Magbegor chipping in with 13 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks.

Meanwhile, the USA went some way to easing the pain of relinquishing their grasp on the title as they beat China 65-50 to finish 3rd. However the former champions had to work hard and relied on a late run to seal the deal, with Taylor Mikesell hitting five triples en-route to 15 points. 

Earlier in the day, the Czech Republic took 5th place by racking up a 63-51 win against host nation Spain thanks to a stellar final quarter and a nice 5-of-6 shooting performance from Veronika Vorackova who netted a smart 13 points.

Canada sealed 7th place by completing a narrow 58-53 win against France who finished 8th, just as they did at the last edition of the tournament in Pilsen.

For more on all of today's action, you can also go to the FIBA live feed.

Saturday's results
Final
Australia beat Italy 62-38

3rd Place
USA beat China 65-50

Classification 5-8
Czech Republic beat Spain 63-51
Canada beat France 58-53

FIBA