Australia hold off Japan to claim first FIBA Women's Asia Cup

Australia survived a late comeback by Japan to win the FIBA Women's Asia Cup for the first time on Sunday.

The Opals, runners up to Japan in 2017, triumphed 88 – 79 at the Shenzhen Sports Centre in southern China.

Australia, which previously defeated their Japanese rivals 79 – 67 in the group stages, led from the start and built an 11-point lead by half time.

But six-time Asian champions Japan rallied in the final quarter -- with power forward Yuki Miyazawa at one stage netting three unanswered 3-pointers in a row -- to level the scores with seven minutes on the clock.

A pair of missed free throws by Japan and crucial baskets from Australian stars Alexandra Fowler and Alex Brooke Wilson helped the Opals edge away as time ticked away for an increasingly desperate Japanese side.

Australian celebrations began with the buzzer as the team ranked second in FIBA's world rankings finally ended their Asia Cup trophy drought.