THE AUSTRALIAN Opals have won their first ever FIBA Women’s Asia Cup over the weekend after taking out the 2025 title following a nine-point win over Japan at Shenzen Sports Stadium on Sunday after a dominant campaign.

The Opals went through the entire Asia Cup undefeated, proving far and away the best team in it throughout the tournament and looking tough to stop with a star-studded roster and some massive wins to match.

The result also ensured the Opals’ appearance at the 2026 FIBA World Cup, which is set to take place in Germany next year. It will be another tournament where the Aussies will go in as one of the powerhouse sides after a dominant performance in China over the past week.

It was revenge for the 2017 Asia Cup Final, where the Aussies finished runners-up to Japan, with the Opals flipping the script in 2025, having also defeated the Japanese in the group stage and flexing their muscles against a fellow contender.

Although Japan tried to conjure a late fightback, it was too little, too late as the Opals managed to cruise home for the title-clinching victory in a big addition to Australia’s trophy cabinet.

Australian Opals (88) def. Japan (79)

It was a deserving finish to a dominant tournament from the Opals, who were the best side in it for the entire week and delivered on the big stage to cap off an emphatic campaign in style.

The Aussies started the game in perfect fashion, getting their offence rolling in the opening minutes of the match and snatching control of the contest. Although the Japanese were able to find the bottom of the net themselves, they simply could not match the scoring output of an extremely balanced Australian side, and trailed 29-20 at the first change.

It was a more even contest in the second frame, with Japan not allowing the game to be blown open in the first half. Although the Japanese were performing well, they were simply still no match for the Opals, who shared the ball tremendously, getting everyone involved and picking holes in the opposition’s defence to push their lead out to 11 points at the main change.

Proceedings got a bit scrappier in the third quarter, with both sides delivering less output on the scoring front as fatigue began to play a factor. Despite Japan proving more effective on the defensive end and actually winning the quarter, it still trailed by eight points at the final change and had a mountain of work to do in the last 10 minutes.

The Aussies wrestled back momentum in the final frame, getting their offence back on top and snuffing out any hope of a comeback from Japan. The margin sat around 10 points for most of the quarter, and the Opals did enough to hold on to claim a nine-point triumph and take out the elusive Asia Cup for the first time in history.

For the victors, Alexandra Fowler led from the front on the scoring side of things, posting a team-high 15 points on 7/11 shooting and accounting for a hefty chunk of Australia’s scoring. She also claimed the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament by averaging 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in a tremendous campaign.

Steph Reid was also strong on the offensive end with 13 points of her own to go with five assists in a productive showing, while Alex Wilson was damaging on the scoring front with 14 points on 4/8 shooting from the field.

For Japan, Kokoro Tanaka was immense as a scoring presence, posting a game-high 21 points as she tried to drag her side back into the contest, while Yuki Miyazawa was not far behind with 18 points of her own.