Sydney (AP) — In a thrilling final on Sunday, China overcame five-time reigning champion Japan by scoring 73-71 to win its first women’s basketball Asia Cup title since 2012.

China was behind at the break, and it looked as though they would lose a championship game for the third time in a row as defending champion Japan scored the final 14 points of the first half to clinch a nine-point advantage.

In front of a sizable Sydney crowd, China ended their 12-year wait for a gold medal by seizing the initiative early in the third quarter and taking what turned out to be a game-winning advantage late in the game, led by the player of the contest, center Xu Han.

Xu accomplished the remarkable feat of posting a double-double in each of the tournament’s games to obtain a game-winning 26 points and ten rebounds. Siyu Wang finished with 17 points.

Saki Hayashi scored 12 points for Japan, while Maki Takada led the team with 17 points and four rebounds.

Following their silver medal in the women’s basketball World Cup, also held in Sydney towards the end of last year, China won the title.

In the 2019 and 2021 championship matches, Japan faced China and won both times to take home their fourth and fifth place crowns.

Earlier on Saturday, Australia, the host country, won its third straight bronze medal after easily defeating New Zealand with a score of 81-59. This allowed the Australian team to duplicate their results from 2019 in Bengaluru, India, and 2021 in Amman, Jordan.

Tess Madgen led the Opals with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Alice Kunek led the team with 19 points, and Anneli Maley finished with a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The eight-team regional competition served as a means of qualifying for the Olympics the following year. The semifinalists (Japan, Australia, China, and New Zealand) all advanced to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.