AHMEDABAD (India) - Australia booked the first ticket to the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 Quarter-Finals following a 110-58 victory over Chinese Taipei on Monday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium.
The defending champions seized control late in the opening period before exploding for 34 in the ensuing period for a 59-25 lead at the half, never to let up en route to completing a 3-game sweep of Group A.
With that, they clinched the no. 1 spot in the pool, enabling themselves to reach the last 8 first which serves as a major step toward meeting their target of securing a 'back-to-back' in the biennial youth tilt.
Coach Luke Brennan once again received solid performances from his key cogs, led by Jai Fa'ale with a game-high 21 points, 15 of which he made in the first half to lead the breakaway. He shot 9-of-15 from the floor.
Yahya Basaram came through with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds plus a pair of blocks to finish with an efficiency of 28. Isaac Riddle had 14 points while John Aryang chipped in 12.
Serving as the lone bright spot for Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, was Carter Coleman with 18 points and 5 rebounds plus 2 assists. No other player was able to finish in double figures for the competitors from East Asia.
Despite the defeat, the 6-time medalists are advancing to the Qualification to Quarter-Finals as the 3rd-seed in the pool with a 1-2 record, giving themselves a chance to better their 12th-place finish in 2024.
Also headed to the said stage are the Philippines, who clinched the 2nd spot in Group A with a 2-1 record following a 91-62 come-from-behind win over Thailand in another meeting between the South East Asian rivals.
Gilas Youth actually faced a major threat early when the Thais roared to a 20-8 start, but slowly made their way back. Then came the huge retaliation after the break, as they went on a 31-6 tear in the whole third canto.
That gave them a commanding 71-50 lead entering the fourth, and the game would never be in question as they cruised to yet another victory against the same team they beat to conquer the SEABA Qualifiers last June.
Luke Atacador finished with 16 points. Elias Gish and Aidan Dayco-Green tallied 15 points apiece and combined for 15 rebounds, as the trio helped put together an overwhelming 33-0 assault, abridging the last two quarters.
Guard Chog Moral chipped in a personal tournament-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the victory that saw the Philippines knock down 10 triples and win the rebounding battle in dominant fashion, 54-33.
FIBA