Japan Falls to China
Japan fell 80-87 to China in FIBA World Cup qualifiers, with post-game buzz around Rui Hachimura's blocks and interviews with Yuta Watanabe and Keisei Tominaga. Japan faces Korea next on March 1.
- The loss was a tale of two halves; Japan established a 15-point lead before China mounted a comeback, outscoring Japan 54-33 in the second half. - China’s comeback was sparked by their three-point shooting, draining five threes in the third quarter after hitting only two in the first half. - Hu Jinqiu dominated for China with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Keisei Tominaga led Japan with 14 points. - Poor free-throw shooting hampered Japan's efforts, as the team converted only 15 of their 27 attempts from the line in a game lost by seven points. - The game marked an inauspicious debut for new Japanese head coach Dai Oketani, who recently took over from Tom Hovasse. - Historically, China has dominated the matchup in major FIBA competitions, holding a 20-2 record against Japan dating back to 1936. - The loss makes Japan's next match against South Korea a crucial, must-win game to keep their qualification hopes strong. - Japan has historically struggled against their next opponent, South Korea, having won only 7 of the 31 games played between the two nations since 2006.
