FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers: Japan start Olympic year with win over Guam
Tom Hovasse's men had to grind for a 77-56 victory over the Asian minnows for their first win of 2024 ahead of Sunday's game vs the People's Republic of China.
Basketball
The Japan men's basketball team opened the Paris 2024 Olympic year with a 77-56 victory over Guam in a FIBA Asia Cup qualifier on Thursday (22 February) at a sold-out Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
Kawamura Yuki led Tom Hovasse’s men with 15 points, six assists and three steals. Josh Harrellson had 11 points and 21 rebounds in his national team debut.
Earnest Ross Jr scored 14 points and added 11 boards for Guam, who had a surprising half-time lead before Japan turned things around in the second half as Kawamura stepped up, particularly on defense.
“First things first, good that we won as a team because we needed it,” Kawamura said. “But if we keep playing like this it’s going to be a real challenge to achieve our goal of reaching the quarter-finals.
“So we need to learn from this and grow as a team.”
With former NBA G League wing Baba Yudai out with an illness, Japan shot a paltry 35 per cent from the field, and just 26 per cent from downtown.
Guam took their first lead of the game with 1:53 left in the second quarter on a layup by Jericho Cruz, who had 12 points on the night.
The hosts, however, managed to regain the lead with 4:04 left in the third thanks to 18-year-old Kawashima Yuto and fortunately never looked back.
Kawamura said Japan should have adjusted sooner because at the Olympic Games, they will not be thrown a lifeline as they were by Guam.
“We were uptight,” the 22-year-old playmaker said. “It was our first game in a while and some of us were starting for the first time. But that’s where I should have done a better job of controlling things.
“The strongest teams will put the game to bed in the first half so we have to become aware of what’s happening on the court faster - especially me as the point guard of the team.”
Next up for Japan on Sunday: the People’s Republic of China, who they have not beaten on the Asia Cup stage in a very, very long time.
“I knew this was going to be a decent challenge for us,” Hovasse said. “I really did - and it was.
“Now we have to take that and try to fix some things before China. We have a great opportunity playing against China who we haven't been in 88 years in the Asia Cup.
“So man, that's an awesome challenge so looking forward to it.”
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