The Australian Gliders went down fighting 44–40 to Japan at the Asia–Oceania Championships in Bangkok, with a late surge falling just short.
Trailing for much of the contest, the Gliders rallied in the final minutes to trim the margin to four, but Japan held firm.
Head Coach Craig Campbell said there were clear positives to carry into the run home, highlighting the impact of Maryanne Latu and the early tone set by Victoria Simpson.
“Maryanne took the game on and hit some big shots to help ignite our comeback, and I was impressed with Tori who brought energy into the game early, hitting chairs and clearing paths in transition,” Campbell said.
Looking ahead, Campbell said the group remains focused on fine-tuning ahead of finals.
“This next game will be a chance to really fine-tune our strategy as we look ahead to Friday’s semi-final, which will be against Japan,” he said.
The Gliders return to the court tomorrow against China at 1:30pm AEDT in their last pool game before Friday’s finals.
