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Japan power into women's Asia Cup basketball final / Photo: © AFP
Japan power into women's Asia Cup basketball final
Defending champions Japan kept their bid for a sixth straight women's Asia Cup basketball title on track Saturday with an 88-52 semi-final thumping of New Zealand.
Stephanie Mawuli poured in a game-high 17 points with six rebounds and three assists while Monica Okoye added 16 points as the world number nine overpowered a Tall Ferns side ranked 20 places below them.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medallists will meet either world number two China -- runner-up to Japan at the last two Asia Cups -- or third-ranked hosts Australia in Sunday's final.
Japan closed out the first quarter with a 24-11 advantage and went on a 14-0 run in the second to surge into a 47-25 half-time lead at Sydney Olympic Park.
They shifted up a gear in the third frame with aggressive offence and built a 66-38 buffer going into the home stretch when New Zealand had nothing left in the tank.
New Zealand were led by Charlisse Leger-Walker with 14 points.
All four semi-finalists in the eight-team competition clinched a place at the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifying tournament.
K. Petersen--BTZ
