Australia edges China for 3rd straight FIBA Asia Cup

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Australia clinched its third straight FIBA Asia Cup after squeezing past China 90-89 in the final on Sunday.

Trailing by one point, China had the chance to secure the win with 3.9 seconds left, but Hu Mingxuan's shot missed the target.

Australia has never lost a game since joining the Asia Cup in 2017, with Sunday's victory marking its 18th straight win at the continental tournament.

In their only previous encounter at the FIBA Asia Cup, Australia cruised past China 97-71 in the 2017 quarterfinals, but it was a totally different scenario when they met again in Jeddah.

China led 25-17 to finish the first quarter thanks to consecutive baskets from Hu Jinqiu and Hu Mingxuan.

China broadened the gap to 15 points in the second quarter, only to see Australia trim the deficit to four points at halftime.

The two teams exchanged leads for several times in the final quarter. Xavier Cooks' free throw earned Australia a 90-87 lead. China cut the gap to one point on captain Zhao Rui's two free throws, but still narrowly fell short.

"We were once down by 15, and it's a very tight, close game," said Australian head coach Adam Caporn.

"The players felt their toughness, felt their problem-solving attitude, and we have that from the start of the camp."

Cooks scored a game-high 30 points for Australia. Jaylin Galloway added 23. With an average of 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals, Galloway was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Hu Mingxuan made five shots from beyond the arc for 26 points. Hu Jinqiu and Cheng Shuaipeng added 20 and 12 points respectively.

"It's a wonderful game, and the two sides staged a gold-medal level show for the fans," said Chinese head coach Guo Shiqiang.

"We lost by one point. It's tough for the players, but I think they did their best."

Chinese duo Hu Jinqiu and Wang Junjie were selected in the All-Star Five, along with Australia's Galloway and Jack McVeigh, and point guard Sina Vahedi of bronze medalist Iran.