Australia and China enter Final in Shenzhen

SEMIS

Australia - Japan 68-63
Australia ensured their Final appearance as they toppled Japan. Australia found themselves trailing by 2 points at halftime 30-32. Japan extended the lead at 3-point mark at the final break. But Australia answered with a strong 21-13 rally in the fourth quarter to snatch the win. Lara Somfai came up with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Saffron Shiels (187-C-2006) added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Australia. Horiuchi Sakura (167-PG-2006) banked in 18 points for Japan.

China - South Korea 79-61
China will face Australia for the title as they saw off South Korea in the semifinal clash. China used a 21-3 run in the second period to open a comfortable 21-point halftime lead. They followed with a 16-11 run in the third quarter to clear off for good. Ziyu Zhang (220-C-2007) came up with 34 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists for the hosts. Gahyun Lee (180-F-2007) answered with 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Korea.

5-6 Place

New Zealand - Taiwan 66-61
New Zealand finished the championship in the fifth place. They held off Taiwan in their final game at the tournament. New Zealand limited their opponents to just 8 points in the first quarter to take a 7-point lead. But Taiwan erased the deficit and surged ahead in the third stanza. But New Zealand responded with a 24-18 run in the final period to snatch the win. Temepara Walker (173-G-2006) netted 13 points, while Elise Carline (181-F-2006) had 12 points for New Zealand. Yu Hsuan Yeh (167-SF-2007) replied with 12 points for Taiwan.