China to face Japan in FIBA Women's Asia Cup final

NEW DELHI - A stunning 20-2 run in the third quarter helped China close out a final berth on Saturday night while they won over South Korea 80-52, and will face Japan in 2019 FIBA Women's Asia Cup final.

Yang Liwei started the game strong who scored 13 points in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers, helping China take a 25-18 lead.

South Korea cut a 12-point deficit to four in the second, but Han Xu stopped the rally with a couple of jump shots that ensured China take a 43-31 advantage heading into the second half.

China set the tone when they showed a terrific defensive performance, taking charge of the third quarter with a 20-2 run that turned the game into a 63-33 cushion, both teams cleared their benches a couple of minutes after that.

Han Xu got 17 points and 3 blocks, while her teammate Yang Liwei added 16 points for China.

In another semi-finals match, the Australian once pushed their lead out to 12 over Japan in the first quarter. Ahead 23-15 to begin the second, Australia's shooting froze, allowing Japan made a 11-0 run to outscore 35-28 into halftime break.

Nako Motohashi's 3-pointer gave Japan their biggest lead at 43-32 before Australia got within four on a 9-2 run, capped off by Bec Allen's layup.

Japan used three consecutive shots from beyond the arc from Yuki Miyazawa to stop Australia's resurgent offensive, and they needed only one driving layup in the final two minutes to close out the win with 76-64.

Nako Motohashi collected a game-high 22 points for Japan, followed by Yuki Miyazawa, who added a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The final will be played on Sunday.