Australia had to rally from a 15-point deficit before stunning China in a wild finish to end the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Finals.
Australia Boomers found themselves orbiting in uncharted territory early Monday morning, Aug. 18 (Manila time).
For the first time in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, the mighty Boomers looked vulnerable after being uncharacteristically down by as many as 15 points in the first half of the Finals against China.
The world no. 7 stayed expectedly calm in the face of adversity though, eventually turning the tables in the fourth quarter to stun China in a 90-89 thriller at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Xavier Cooks piked the best time to cook for Australia, turning in 30 points, nine rebounds, and two assists for the Boomers, who captured a third straight gold since joining the continental meet in 2017.
Team Dragon simply had no answer for the 6-foot-7 Cooks, who inflicted the damage inside the paint the whole game.
However, Cooks found himself at the center of drama in the dying seconds after being whistled an unsportsmanlike foul for swinging an elbow to the nape of Zhao Rui.
The Australia forward first split pressure-packed shots from the foul line to make it 90-87, before Rui swished a pair of free throws on the other end to cut the deficit to one.
China then got the possession with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation but couldn’t come up with a game-winner.
Mingxuan Hu, who dropped five triples for 26 points, had a clear line of sight from deep but his shot only kissed the lower part of the rim.
Eventual MVP Jaylin Galloway proved steady from the three-point territory, making six shots from that range for 23 points, five rebounds, and an assist for Australia to back up Cooks.
William Hickey also came up with 15 points, none bigger than the putback off Jack McVeigh missed three for an 88-87 Boomers lead with 1:09 left.
He also had seven rebounds, four rebounds, and two blocks while McVeigh added 11 points.
Team Dragon also had much from slotman Jinqiu Hu, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, a steal, and a block.
Shuaipeng Cheng and Rui added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for China, who took a a 36-21 lead with 7:19 left in the second period.
Australia’s Galloway and Jack McVeigh, China’s Jinqiu and Junjie Wang, as well as Iran’s Sina Vahedi made up the All-Star Five to end the tournament.