SEREMBAN: Australia achieved an unprecedented ‘four-peat’ by ruling the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup 2025 following an 86-50 victory over New Zealand in the Final, Sunday night at the Karisma Arena.
The Sapphires pulled away in the second chapter toward becoming the first team in competition history to win the championship four times, in the process breaking a tie with China for the most number of titles.
Madison Ryan led Australia with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Marialena Fakalata and Matilda Trout finished with 14 points while Laura Seiz added 11 points, spiked by three three-pointers.
Shamar Broughton, on the other hand, led New Zealand with 10 points as they settled for silver, capping off a historic campaign nonetheless as they brought the program to its first-ever Final in the biennial event.
Meanwhile, Japan salvaged a bronze-medal finish after beating China in the Third-Place Game earlier in the day, 71-58, to continue the program’s streak of medal finishes in the biennial continental tournament.
Miya Takeuchi led the way with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, eventually bagging home Tournament MVP honors as she finished the week-long meet with averages of 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.
Momoko Kaji finished with 15 points as she helped spark the fourth-quarter pullaway which Takeuchi would go on to power that ultimately enabled Japan to secure a podium finish after missing the Final for the first time.
Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China will represent Asia in the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Czechia.
FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup 2025 final standings:
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Japan
4. China
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
