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October 2017
Semi-Finals: Australia and Japan set up a Final between unbeaten teams
28/10/2017
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Final Preview - It's Australia and Japan for all the marbles

BENGALURU (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Both Australia and Japan have been the most dominant teams in Bengaluru, but it will all come to a head in the Final as they play for all the marbles.

Road to the Final: Australia have completely overwhelmed every opponent they have faced. They have won every game by double-digits, including a 40-point blowout of defending champions China in the Semi-Final. Japan, too, have been in a class all their own. In their first two games, they won by an average of 77.5 points and then proceeded to dominate China, Chinese Taipei and even New Zealand.


Key Matchups: The matchup at the frontline between Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Sakura Noguchi is going to be crucial. They are about the same size and have been two of the most scintillating players around. Noguchi has scored in double-figures in every game, while Agnes seems to get better as each game passes by. At the perimeter, it'll be interesting if Japan can slow down Australia's Shyla Heal. Heal leads Australia in scoring and has not met a shot she doesn't like. Much of the pressure will be on Maika Miura to contain Heal. Miura was Japan's leading scorer in the first two days, though her production has tapered off since. It will be interesting to see if she can get the job done against the Sapphires today.


Key Stat: Both teams have been very good in terms of scoring, rebounding and playmaking, but the key difference-maker in this game could be turnovers. Despite their dominance, Australia average 19.0 turnovers per game, which may be a red flag that the Japanese can exploit. Japan turn the ball over just 8.5 times per game and average 21.2 steals per contest. That means Australia's ball-handlers need to be extra careful and be sure to minimize their errors. If Japan's defense clicks, they have a good shot at dealing the Sapphires their first loss and netting the title. Japan are extra motivated as well, especially since they are looking for payback after Australia bested the Akatsuki Five in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup Final earlier this year.

FIBA