BENGALURU (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Lauren Mansfield will have her hands full tonight trying to contain Japan's Manami Fujioka, but she believes Australia should still win the Women's Asia Cup title.

Mansfield is not exactly among the top-of-mind players one thinks of when talking about the Opals, but that should not diminish the importance of her role. The 1.70m 27-year-old is the Aussies' main playmaker and floor general, and though she does not hog the headlines in the same way teammates like Maianna Tolo, Alanna Smith and Kelsey Griffin do, Mansfield is still a vital cog in coach Cheryl Anne Chambers's championship dreams.

Mansfield shared her thoughts about the Final with FIBA.com.

How does it feel to be in the Final of FIBA Women’s Asia Cup? This was our goal. We are very excited to be in the Final. Who did you prefer to play at the Final - Japan or China?
I really did not have a preference. Either team is going to be tough. China is quite tall, and the Japanese are very fast. I believe it is going to be a great game, and matching up against them is going to be tough.

Against Japan the first time, your big players kicked the ball out when double teamed and the perimeter players made 12 out of 20 three point attempts. Can you repeat that in the Final?
We are a versatile team, and if we are not making our shots, we can still pound the ball inside for our big players.

How have you found the FIBA Asia experience?
Playing in FIBA Asia for the first time has been cool. Coming to India has been an awesome experience, and we are really enjoying it

FIBA