The Australian women are crushing opponents in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, winning their first two games by over 70 points in each contest.
On the opening day of play Sunday, Australia bested the Philippines 115-39, a 76-point difference. They followed that up with a dominant 113-34 victory over Lebanon Monday, a 79-point win margin.
One former Big Ten guard was a major asset for Australia in their first two matchups — Purdue’s Abbey Ellis, who continues to prove her worth as a late addition to the roster.
Ellis, along with point guard Stephanie Reid, put up a near team-high 14 points against Lebanon, second to forward Isabelle Bourne’s 15. The Boilermaker alum also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ellis’s 6.5 assists per contest are third-best in the tournament, behind Reid (8) and Korea’s Yeeun Heo (7).
Australia kept Lebanon on a tight leash.
The Lebanese scored six points in the opening quarter and entered the half with only 17 on the board, compared to Australia’s 49. The game’s second half was a mirror of the first: an 11-point third quarter and 6-point final frame, while Australia added 64 points.
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Ellis and the Australians will face Japan Tuesday at 4:30 a.m. ET in Shenzhen, China. It’s the final Group B match up, but will likely be another victory for Australia, whose largest win margin is 79 points compared to Japan’s four.
Japan squeaked by with their wins over Lebanon (72-68) and the Philippines (85-82), but their performances show a scrappy style of play and suggest they could hang in there with Australia longer than one might expect.