Australia outlasts S. Korea to reach FIBA Women's Asia Cup final
Chasing its first Women's Asia Cup title, Australia took the early initiative and held off a determined South Korean fightback to secure the win.
Australia dominated the boards with a 45-26 rebounding advantage. Cayla George posted a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds, while four other Australian players also scored in double figures.
"We knew that we had to lock in defensively and have a good game plan from the very start. We got a great start, and then offensively the ball didn't start moving. They started to shoot the ball well, so we had to make some adjustments at halftime defensively," Australia coach Paul Goriss said.
"The girls came out in the second half with a greater intentional defense with our ball pressure and stayed connected with our switching."
Isobel Borlase opened with six straight points, sparking a 15-0 run over four minutes that gave Australia a 19-5 lead and forced South Korea to call a timeout.
South Korea responded as Choi I-saem and Heo Ye-eun combined for eight points to keep the game within reach. The first quarter ended with Australia leading 22-13.
Australia caught fire from beyond the arc as Stephanie Reid and Sara Blicavs hit three consecutive 3-pointers. South Korea, known for its outside shooting, answered with three straight of its own from Choi, Park Ji-hyun and Heo to cut the gap to four.
South Korea made eight of 15 attempts from long range in the first half, compared to Australia's 38.5 percent from deep, but Australia still held a narrow 42-38 lead at halftime. In the second half, South Korea was limited to just three 3-pointers.
Australia broke the game open with a 16-4 run in the third quarter to lead 62-48. As South Korea's shooting cooled down, Australia leaned on its physicality and tempo to push the lead to as many as 15 points with five minutes remaining.
Heo and Shin Ji-hyun sparked a brief rally with fast-break points, but Australia responded quickly with a series of inside attacks to maintain control.
Heo finished with 20 points for South Korea, while Park added 19. Despite the loss, South Korea coach Park Soo-ho praised his players' performance.
"Australia is one of the strongest teams in this competition, but our players executed what I had asked them very well on the court," he said.
Australia last reached the final in 2017, the year it debuted in the tournament. Looking ahead to Sunday's final, Goriss said,
"We still have one more job to do: we want to go home with the gold medal. We've been playing some great basketball right from the very time that we landed in China. We are really deep with our depth and rotation."
UNI/XINHUA BM
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