China collect their 16th FIBA U-18 Asian title defeating Japan.

In an eventful final day, China claimed their fifth consecutive title after overcoming their traditional foes Japan in an exciting match. Top seeds Australia outclassed Korea to claim the third position. China, Japan, Australia, and South Korea qualify for the 2019 FIBA U-19 Women's Basketball World Cup. Malaysia got relegated to Division B for the 2020 FIBA Under-18 Women's Asian Championship by finishing last in Division A.

Result Semi-Final: China defeated Korea 69-51 (24-13, 15-12, 13-16, 17-10)

Scorers: (CHN: Mingling Chen 19 pts, 11 rebs, Yuan Li 6 assists; KOR: Jihyun Park 20 pts, 10 rebs, 6 steals)

The Story: China stole the show leading from the front with an 18 point victory over rivals South Korea.

First Half: China pressed on the accelerator early as they raced away to an eleven point lead through Ziting Tang’s 11 point effort. Jihyun Park’s six-point effort ensured that the Chinese lead remained at 14 points.

Second Half: Mingling Chen scored eight points with a couple of two-point jump shots to maintain the Chinese lead of 11 points. Ming Zheng scored six points in quick succession, in the end, to seal the victory for China.

Stats: China proved stronger on the boards with 55 rebounds (36 defensive and 19 offensive), 20 points from second chances. Mingling Chen converted seven of her nine two-point field goals to end the game with a success rate of 78%.

Star Performer: Mingling Chen of China earned a double-double - 19 pts, 11 rebs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and Player efficiency rating 28.

Ririka Okuyama of Japan (Image Courtesy: FIBA)

Result Semi-Final: Japan defeated Australia 90-77 (21-12, 17-27, 30-12, 22-26)

Scorers: (JPN: Nanako Todo 21 pts, Ririka Okuyama 10 rebs, Norika Konno 6 assists; AUS: Miela Goodchild 26 pts, 7 steals, Jazmin Pamela Shelley 10 rebs, Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu 5 assists)

The Story: Japan upset top seeds Australia handing them a defeat by 13 points to enter the finals of the FIBA U-18 Asian Championships.

First Half: Japan signalled their intentions clear as they galloped to a nine-point lead, after the threesome duo of Ririka Okuyama, Chinatsu Umeki and Aoi Ishimaki scored five points each in the first period. In a breathtaking second period, Australia overtook Japan with a single point lead. A spectacular performance from Miela Goodchild who scored eleven points to bring the Gems back into the game.

Second Half: Nanako Todo’s brilliant 13 point score with a triad of lay-ups and jump shots gave Japan a 17 point cushion heading into the final quarter. Miela Goodchild’s nine-point effort went in vain as the lead was too big for the Gems to overcome.

Stats: It was surprising to find the Japanese dominating the boards with 50 rebounds (32 defensive and 18 offensive), 22 points from second chances and 50 points inside the paint. Australia was guilty of turning over the ball 16 times with Japan 22 points from turnovers along with 23 fast break points.

Ririka Okuyama made five of her seven three-point attempts to end with a conversion rate of 71%. Nanako Todo turned nine of her twelve two-point efforts to conclude with a conversion rate of 75%. Australia committed just nine fouls as Japan did not earn a single free throw in the entire match. Miela Goodchild had an 83% conversion rate on her free throw attempts.

Star Performer: Australia's Miela Goodchild - 26 pts, 4 rebs, 5 assists, 7 steals, Player efficiency rating 28.

Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu of Australia earned a double-double- 17 pts, 17 rebs (Image Courtesy: FIBA)

Result Third Place Game: Australia defeated South Korea 75-58 (12-8, 16-20, 26-21, 21-9)

Scorers: (AUS: Miela Goodchild 21 pts, Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu 17, Jazmin Pamela Shelley 5 assists; KOR: Haeran Lee 17 pts, 9 rebs)

The Story: Top seeds Australia reversed the ignominy of their defeat at the hands of Korea by upstaging them for the third place in the FIBA U-18 Asian Championships.

First Half: In a low-scoring first period, the lead kept often changing before Australia gained a four-point advantage. In a nail-biting second period, Korea took over the lead from Australia with a spectacular eleven point effort from Jihyun Park which included a triad of three-point jump shots. However, Samantha Kate Simons two-point jump shot on the buzzer brought back the score to level terms at the end of the first half.

Second Half: Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu’s ten point score turned up the heat in the third quarter as Australia took a slender five-point lead. Miela Goodchild’s twelve point effort in the final quarter sealed the third place for Australia.

Stats: As expected, the Young Gems dominated the boards, with 61 rebounds (31 defensive and 30 offensive), 22 fast break points, 18 points from second chances, and 38 points inside the paint. Haeran Lee made five of her six free throws to end with a conversion rate of 83%.

Jihyun Park turned four of her five two-point attempts, to finish with a conversion rate of 80%. Miela Goodchild had 83%, and Isabel Leigh Palmer had a 71% success rate on their free throw attempts.

Star Performer: Australia's Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu earned a double-double- 17 pts, 17 rebs, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, Player efficiency rating 26.

Mingling Chen of China earned a double-double - 19 pts, 11 rebs against Korea (Image Courtesy: FIBA)

Result Final: China defeated Japan 89-76 (19-22, 19-16, 24-12, 27-26)

Scorers: (CHN: Yuan Li 28 pts, 8 assists, Mingling Chen 14 rebs; JAP: Chinatsu Umeki 20 pts, Layla Takehara 8 rebs)

The Story: China avenged their defeat to the Japanese team in the group stages to claim their sixteenth FIBA Asia U-18 title.

First Half: Riding on Layla Takehara’s eight-point score Japan took a slender three-point lead as Yuan Li starred for China with eight points in an even first period. Zhuo Ya Fang’s couple of three-point jump shots brought the score to level terms with Layla Takehara top scoring again with six points.

Second Half: Yuan Li stepped her game scoring nine points in the third period as China managed a twelve point lead over their rivals Japan. Chinatsu Umeki’s ten-point effort went in vain for Japan as Yuan Li scored nine points to ensure that China stayed ahead to become the Champions.

Stats: China registered 37% three-point field goal conversions with ten of their 27 shots finding the basket. China collected 19 assists, while Japan scored 56 points from the paint.

Star Performer: Yuan Li of China - 28 pts, 8 rebs, 8 assists, 2 steals, Player efficiency rating 28.

Top Performers:

Points per game - Miela Goodchild (AUS) 17.7

Total Points - Miela Goodchild (AUS) 106

Field goals shooting percentage - Charlotte Whittaker (NZL) 63.8%

2 points shooting percentage - Nanako Todo (JPN)‎ 66.7%

3 points shooting percentage - Ririka Okuyama (JPN)‎ 48%

Free Throws shooting percentage - Yu Chieh Chen (TPE)‎ & Miela Goodchild (AUS) 89.5%

Rebounds per game - Mingling Chen (CHN)‎ 14.5

Block shots per game - Nnenna Agnes Emma-Nnopu (AUS)‎ 1.5

Assists per game - Yuan Li (CHN)‎ 7.5

Steals per game - Adelaide Callista Wongsohardjo (INA)‎ 3.5

Double-Doubles - Mingling Chen (CHN)‎ 5