Japan and South Korea advanced to the semifinals of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup on Friday, setting up showdowns with China and Australia respectively, after dominant wins over New Zealand and the Philippines.

SHENZHEN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan and South Korea progressed to the final four with victories at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup here on Friday.

Japan outplayed New Zealand 77-62 to set up a highly anticipated semifinal against defending champion China, while South Korea will face Australia after routing the Philippines 104-71.

Kokoro Tanaka opened Japan's scoring account with five straight points, while a more physical New Zealand side leaned on its paint attack to respond.

After building a narrow 19-17 first-quarter lead, Japan stretched it to 27-19 less than two minutes going into the second period after Tanaka sank a triple.

New Zealand began to claw its way back, with Esra McGoldrick's layup turning it around at 35-34, before Bailey Flavell made a floater at the buzzer for a 41-39 halftime lead.

An 11-point scoring run in the third quarter set the tone for Japan's win, as the 2023 runner-up carried a 61-49 advantage after three quarters.

Japan saw its lead grow to as big as 19 points early in the final period. New Zealand would pull within 71-61, but its comeback attempt was soon denied by Tanaka's jumper and veteran power forward Maki Takada's jumper.

Tanaka, 19, led Japan with 17 points. Norika Konno and Yuki Miyazawa added 13 and 11 points, respectively. On the New Zealand side, McGoldrick pocketed a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Looking ahead to Saturday's semifinal, Japan coach Corey Gaines said, "This is a game that any basketball player dreams of. It's an honor and a privilege to play against China in China, in front of the crowd. Big game, big situation, that's what you play the game for."

China had won both warmup matches between the two teams in June, although Japan did not field the same team as the one now competing in Shenzhen.

"I played China with my younger team a couple of weeks ago. We know what they want to do, we know how they do it. They are going to use their size, and we are going to use pace, space and shots. It's kind of who can force their will on the other one."

An 18-0 surge bridging the first and second quarters proved critical for South Korea, who set up a 27-point cushion into halftime. The Philippines never threatened South Korea's lead for the rest of the game.

Four South Korean players scored in double figures, led by Lee Hae-ran's 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Kang Yoo-lim helped with 21 points, while Park Ji-hyun and Park Ji-su added 15 and 14, respectively.

Earlier in the day, veteran point guard Rebecca Akl scored a game-high 26 points, including five in a row in crunch time, as Lebanon held off Indonesia 67-57 to finish seventh and stay in Division A of the tournament for the next edition in 2027.

"Full respect to Indonesia. We were ahead by 16 going into the fourth quarter. They dug in and went to work, and made it a too much exciting basketball game for us," said Lebanon coach Paul Coughter. "At the end of the day, we are able to stay in Division A, which is, of course, important for our country and for our women's basketball program."

"At the same time, we are feeling a little bit bittersweet, because when we came here, our goal was to be [among the top] six and be able to pre-qualify for the Women's World Cup in Germany in 2026. We didn't accomplish that, but we were able to stay in [Division] A, so I'm reasonably satisfied," he added.  ■