A DOMINANT performance from Xavier Cooks paved the way for Australia to win its third straight Asia Cup, defeating China in a thrilling on-point victory (90-89) at the King Abdullah Sports City on Sunday night. Cooks put up 30 points and nine rebounds in a memorable night for the Aussies.

Prior to the last three tournaments, China had a stranglehold on the Asia Cup, having won 16 of a possible 28 golds. However in the past three events in 2017, 2022 and now 2025 across Lebanon, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia respectively, Australia has held sway in a dominant passage in time. China returned to the gold medal final for the first time since its last win on home soil in 2015, and pushed the Boomers the whole way, but to no avail.

AUSTRALIA 17 | 25 | 26 | 22 (90)
CHINA 25 | 21 | 25 | 18 (89)

The Boomers came into. the final as favourites with China the clear threat to the Aussies’ three-peat aspirations at the tournament. A fast start saw China race to an eight-point lead at quarter time off the back of a two-prong shooting performance from Mingxuan Hu (nine points) and Jinqiu Hu (eight) to be up 25-17 when the teams changed ends.

Panic signs were there when a Junjie Wang fadeaway jumper hit the mark and China had delivered the first six points of the second quarter to lead by as much as 14. Cooks delivered a couple of relieving baskets, before Wang’s hot hand continued with a further five points, making it nine in the first two and a half minutes.

Australia was sharing the baskets around with Jack McVeigh putting up some much needed points, but it was Cooks who continued to hound the Chinese. Despite repeated timeouts midway through the quarter, China struggled to quell the well-balanced Aussie attack as defensively the Boomers were pulling down rebounds then diming off slick passes to open players.

When Jaylin Galloway drained a triple with 1:43 on the clock in the first half, Australia had cut the deficit to one point, and scored 18 of the last 22 points to that period in time. A pair of three’s to Mingxuan Hu blew the margin back out to seven in the last minute, before Cooks hit the and-one free throw to make it a more manageable four-point deficit at half-time.

Despite winning the third term, Australia still seemed on the back foot, unable to truly cut into the deficit that China had created, with a late Galloway triple in the dying seconds reducing the final break margin to three. It set up a ripping fourth quarter with the scores at 71-68 in facour of the Chinese.

Unsurprisingly it was Cooks and Mingxuan Hu going at it early, trading blows as the Aussie scored his side’s first six points, before McVeigh handed Australia the lead with a brilliant turnaround jumpshot. The crowd witnessed 10 lead changes in a frantic final term, with the last being William Hickey‘s basket with 65 seconds left on the clock.

An incredible block from Will Magnay was decisive, then drew the foul after whittling down the time to 24 seconds. A missed first free throw kept China in the game, as Magnay’s second successful shot from the line made it a two-point ball game. Another huge defensive block – this time from White allowed Hickey to win the ball with three seconds on the clock which allowed Cooks to deliver one of two from the charity stripe.

An unsportsmanlike foul from Cooks handed the ball over to Rui Zhao in the last three seconds, but his two point only reduced the losing margin to one, with the final buzzer sounding to indicate an Australian victory in the Asia Cup final for the third straight time.

Australia’s dominance in the paint proved the difference, putting up 48 points compared to China’s 26 in that area, while also leading in the points off turnovers (13-8) and fast break points (16-11) in the tight win. China battled hard defensively with three more rebounds up that end (27-24) but the 11 turnovers to six proved costly, as did the two-point range shooting percentage of 52.9 per cent.

Cooks lead the way shooting 13 of 17 from the field, and though inaccurate at the charity stripe (four of 11) stood tall at both ends with four offensive rebounds among a total of nine. Galloway (23 points, five rebounds) and Hickey (15 points, seven rebounds and four assists) were also key in the win. Defensively, Magnay had three huge blocks to go with five rebounds and four assists.

For China, Mingxuan Hu (26 points, three rebounds and three assists) lead all-comers, nailing five of seven from long-range among seven of 10 from the field. His namesake Jinqiu Hu contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double effort, while Zhao finished with 10 points – though only two of 10 from the field – as well as five rebounds and six assists.