SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - Miya Takeuchi gave Japan another reason to celebrate after being named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025, Sunday night at the Karisma Arena.
The heady 1.61 M (5'3") floor general earned the coveted award after finishing the tournament as its leader in both points and assists with averages of 19.4 points and 6.6 assists, along with 3.8 rebounds in five games.
That included a 25-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist showing to lead her side to a 71-58 victory over China in an all-East Asia Third-Place Game to salvage a bronze medal and ensure Japan will keep their medal streak alive.
By taking the plum, Takeuchi bannered the Tournament All-Star Five, in which she's joined by Madison Ryan and Isabel Smith of champions Australia, China's Li Yuanshan, and Emilia Ainley of New Zealand.
Ryan led the Sapphires in scoring with 15.2 points while Smith normed 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as the two played crucial roles in helping the team accomplish the first-ever 'four-peat' of the event.
In doing so, Australia have also broken a tie with China for the most number of championships in the competition although the latter remains a solid contender especially after returning to the Semi-Finals.
The young Team Dragon last did so in 2017 when they took the bronze, and leading their comeback was Li, who was their best scorer with 17.8 points on nearly 34-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Li, in fact, submitted the best single-game scoring performance in this year's meet when she had 38 points on an 8-of-16 clip from deep to power China to an 83-74 win over New Zealand on opening day.
Still, New Zealand managed to overcome that loss and went on to reach their first-ever Final, with Ainley a solid contributor in their historic run as she's one of only few players to average with a double-double.
Ainley finished with numbers of 11.0 points, and 10.5 rebounds, which she laced with 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks.
FIBA