, The Australian women's U-16 national basketball team made history by winning the FIBA U-16 Women's Asia Cup 2025 for the fourth consecutive time, after defeating New Zealand 86-50 in the final at Karisma Arena, Malaysia, on Sunday night.
According to the FIBA website, as quoted in Jakarta, they previously won the tournament in 2017, 2019, and 2023.
This success made Australia the first team to win four consecutive titles in the tournament's history, surpassing China's record of three trophies.
The Sapphires, the nickname of the Australian women's national team, began to leave their opponents behind in the second quarter and were unstoppable until the end of the match in the final.
Madison Ryan delivered a brilliant performance with 15 points, five rebounds , four assists , and four steals . Her teammates, Marialena Fakalata and Matilda Trout, each contributed 14 points, and Laura Seiz added 11 points on three three-pointers.
On the other hand, New Zealand had to settle for the silver medal despite making history by reaching the final for the first time. Shamar Broughton was his team's top scorer with 10 points.
In the third-place match, Japan defeated China 71-58 to secure the bronze medal, extending their podium finish tradition at the biennial event.
Basketball player Miya Takeuchi became the country's star with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists .
Momoko Kaji added 15 points, including some key momentum in the fourth quarter that sealed Japan's victory.
Despite failing to reach the final for the first time, the Land of the Rising Sun still closed the tournament with a medal.
The tournament results earned Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China the right to represent Asia and Oceania at the 2026 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic.
