BENGALURU (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Things were close all throughout between Australia and Japan in their final match of the group phase, but the Opals proved to be steadier in the end, 83-74.

Marianna Tolo bucked a sore calf to dominate in the paint for the Aussies, scoring 17 points, hauling down 8 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. She missed yesterday's contest against the Philippines and looked fresh in this pivotal encounter with the Akatsuki Five.

Speaking of Japan, they actually led after the first quarter, but they could not match the size and power of the Opals in the paint. The Japanese surely missed the presence of top interior operator Ramu Tokashiki, and so they turned to Manami Fujioka for the production. Fujioka finished with 18 points and 10 boards in the losing cause.

Australia succeeded in hampering ace Japanese point guard Asami Yoshida, who only managed 14 minutes of play.

FIBA