SHENZHEN (China) - Heroes were aplenty as Australia came from behind to beat Japan, 79-67, and book the first ticket to the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025 Semi-Finals, Tuesday at the Shenzhen Sports Center.
Steph Reid struck the dagger with a nifty layup, then kicked it out to Sara Blicavs for the killer triple with 38.9 seconds left for the final count to complete the rally after being down by as many as 11 points.
In passing their biggest test to date, the 2023 bronze medalists have secured the no. 1 spot in Group B of Division A with an immaculate 3-0 record, thus bringing them to the final four set Saturday, July 19.
"We know Japan very well, and respect them as an opponent," said head coach Paul Goriss. "We know how good they are in transition and off the three-point line and I think we did a poor job on that in the first half."
"But really, to the team's credit, and our girls' credit, the way they defended in the second half, in holding Japan to 16 points in the second half, is a credit to their toughness and their ability to play together," he added.
Reid top-scored for the Opals with 15 points alongside 9 assists, doing much of the damage in the third canto as she helped her side slowly chip away Team Japan's lead and end the period with the game tied at 59-all.
Zitina Aokuso produced 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Blicavs delivered 13 points, while Alex Fowler came through with 11 points and 5 rebounds as they all had a hand in their strong fourth-quarter assault.
Blicavs gave the Aussies the lead for good, nailing back-to-back hits for the 65-61 advantage with 7:01 remaining - shots that proved to be the kick-starter to their finishing run to leave their foes in utter disappointment.
Kokoro Tanaka responded not long after but that proved to be Team Japan's last hurrah. Izzy Borlase scored inside, Courtney Woods hit a trey, and Fowler made one from close range to make it a 72-63 spread with 3:03 to go.
Aokuso joined in the fray moments later, then came the aforementioned plays by Reid and Blicavs to wrap things up as Australia finished the match with a scorching 18-6 scoring spree to snatch the victory.
More than staying perfect and advancing to the Semi-Finals, the Opals have also snapped a four-game losing skid against the Japanese in the Women's Asia Cup. The last time they won was in 2017 in Bengaluru, India.
"We wanted to make a new legacy for this new team that we have here, and I think beating Japan was good for us," said Aokuso. "We weren't showing up in the first half, but we made sure we came out and finished it."
Put to naught by the loss, on the other hand, was the effort of Stephanie Mawuli in leading Japan. The seasoned winger finished with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor in 28 minutes.
Mawuli made 14 of her points in the second quarter alone as she spearheaded the attack that saw Coach Corey Gaines' unit turn a slim two-point lead to a 51-40 cushion with less than a minute left before the break.
Unfortunately, she cooled down in the second half, and things turned from bad to worse as they hardly found another source of offense aside from Mawuli, eventually leading to the heartbreaking collapse.
Kokoro Tanaka was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points for Japan, who ended up with a 39.6-percent shooting clip from the floor and 17 turnovers as they absorbed their first loss after a 2-0 start.
With the result, the 2023 silver medalists will finish as the no. 2 team in Group B and will face the third seed of Group A in the crossover Qualification to Semi-Finals scheduled on Friday, July 18.
FIBA