Denso Iris beat Sichuan 81-63 in FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia final in Bengaluru

On Sunday at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, Denso Iris (Japan) defeated Sichuan Yuanda Meile (China) 81-63 in the final of the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia. Iris’s victory was driven by collective contributions rather than dependence on single foreign imports.

Denso Iris does not rely solely on its foreign players and instead emphasises a team-oriented approach, with imports used to complement the group; the article noted this contrasted with most sides at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Sichuan Yuanda Meile, by contrast, was described as heavily dependent on American Chennedy Carter and Australian Sara Blicavs. Carter was disqualified early in the second quarter after receiving two technical fouls, and Blicavs was reported as not being at her best.

Iris built its advantage steadily across the game, moving from 24-20 after the first quarter to 43-36 at half-time before closing out an 81-63 win. The report said Iris’s defence denied Sichuan the space to operate, making it increasingly difficult for the Chinese side to raise the tempo.

Maki Takada, the 37-year-old three-time Olympian, finished as the game’s top scorer with 23 points; the account described her as neither exceptionally quick nor overly aggressive, relying on composure and sound positioning. Takada’s 23 points included seven two-pointers and a three-pointer.

Other scorers for Denso Iris were Haruna Kasagi with 15 and Mai Kawai with 13. Sichuan’s leading scorers were Sara Blicavs with 18, Gao Song with 12 and Chennedy Carter with 11.

In the third-place match, Cathay Life Tigers (Chinese Taipei) beat KB Stars (South Korea) 73-68; Shelbynal Cheyanne Cheslek scored 24 and Penina Davidson 20 for the Tigers, while Yunjeong Na had 22, Yeeun Heo 18 and Yunha Song 15 for KB Stars. G. Parameshwar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, presented the prizes after the matches.

Denso Iris’s 81-63 victory in the final secured the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia title, with Sichuan Yuanda Meile finishing as runners-up and Cathay Life Tigers taking third place.