The FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026 group stage concluded at Karisma Arena in Seremban, Malaysia, where the U18 Japan women’s national team secured three consecutive victories to top Group B and claim a spot in the semifinals. Ranked ninth in the FIBA girls’ rankings, Japan finished pool play with a dominant defensive and offensive display highlighted by point guard Miyu Takeuchi leading multiple statistical categories across the tournament.
Miyu Takeuchi Leads Japan in Assists and Steals
Takeuchi spearheaded the Japanese offense and defense during the three pool games, averaging 15.7 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.3 steals per contest while shooting 91.7 percent from the free-throw line on 11-of-12 shooting. Those figures placed her at the top of the entire tournament in assists, steals, and free-throw accuracy, alongside an average scoring mark that ranked fourth overall in the field.
Teammate Moe Sakata complemented the backcourt production by tying for the tournament lead in three-point shooting percentage. Sakata converted seven of her 14 attempts from beyond the arc for a 50 percent clip, while also contributing 13.7 points per game to finish seventh in individual scoring.
Defensive Pressure and Turnout Control Propel Group B Campaign
Japan's collective numbers showed a disciplined style of play throughout the group phase. The squad averaged a tournament-high 18.0 steals per game and accumulated 97.3 points per contest to finish second in team scoring. At the same time, efforts limited turnovers to just 35 across the three matches, the lowest total of any competing nation in the group stage.
In Group A, Australia mirrored Japan’s undefeated 3-0 record to secure the top seed in its bracket. The Australian side led all teams with 97.7 points per game, 58.0 rebounds per game, and a 32.8 percent success rate from three-point range, establishing a formidable profile heading into the medal rounds.
Individual Standouts Across the Tournament Field
South Korea’s Lim Yeon-seo emerged as the leading scorer of the group phase, averaging 25.7 points over three games. Lim posted 31 points against New Zealand in her opening appearance and followed with 30 points against the Philippines. In the rebounding department, South Korean teammate Kim Da-mi took the individual crown with 10.3 boards per game, standing as the only player in the tournament to average a double-digit rebounding mark.
Additional category leaders included China’s Chen Yu-xin, who tied Takeuchi with 4.0 assists per game, and teammate Rao Yingying, who paced all shot-blockers with 2.3 blocks per contest. Sophie Richardson of Australia joined Sakata and South Korea’s Lee So-hi atop the three-point accuracy leaderboard at 50 percent, while Australia’s Madison Ryan posted a tournament-best efficiency rating of 24.3.
Japan Faces South Korea or Chinese Taipei on October 9
Japan advances to the tournament semifinals scheduled for October 9. The team will face the winner of the match between South Korea and Chinese Taipei slated for October 8.
