BENGALURU (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Will Japan succeed in their three-peat quest, or will Australia make another mark in history by winning their first Women's Asia Cup?

Road to the Final: Japan have had a much harder road to this point. They lost to Australia in the group phase and had to rally against both Chinese Taipei and erstwhile unbeaten China to make it to their third straight Final. The Opals, meanwhile, have yet to taste defeat. They have defeated their foes by an average of 25.0 points per game, though the one close game they had was against, you guessed it, Japan.

Key Matchups: Australia have anchored their success on their wingmen and frontline, but to stop Japan a second time their point guard play will need to be excellent. That means the pressure is on Lauren Mansfield - their top floor general and playmaker - to deliver. She will have her hands full, though, as she faces Japanese ace Manami Fujioka, who is coming off an outstanding effort against China. Fujioka has actually been the tournament's most efficient player heading into the Final, and that means Mansfield will be really tested.

Japan, meanwhile, will need top flight production from forwards Moeko Nagaoka, Maki Takada and Yuki Miyazawa. That trio will have to contain Australia's potent frontline corps of Kelsey Griffin, Allana Smith, Sara Blicavs and Marianna Tolo. In their previous matchup, it was Griffin who torched Japan with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, while Tolo and Blicavs combined for 29 points.

Key Stat: When the Opals beat the Akatsuki Five on Day 3, one big reason was three-point shooting. The Aussies sank 12 of their 20 bombs from beyond the arc, while Japan made just 6 of 22. Japan can ill-afford to let the Opals catch fire again, so they need to close out on those shooters. Australia, meanwhile, held Japan to just 2 fastbreak points in that game, and they will need to do that again to prevail.

FIBA