The 3rd game of the group stage of the Women's Basketball World Cup held in Australia was held in Australia, and Japan, who faced Canada, ranked 4th in the world, struggled with the opponent's solid defense and height, and could not increase the score. , lost 56-70.

In the Women's Basketball World Cup, where the winning team can qualify for the Paris Olympics, the third group stage match was held on the 25th, and Japan, who had one win and one loss so far, faced Canada.



After changing their starting line-up, Japan struggled with the opponent's height from the first quarter, and conceded a number of goals under the goal after being deprived of rebounds, giving Japan a lead of 12-20.



In the 2nd quarter, captain TAKADA Maki and 20-year-old HIRASHITA Aika scored to temporarily catch up to a 3-point lead, but after that they were unable to stop the opponent's scoring and ended the game with a score of 25-41.



In the 3rd quarter, Okoe Momika scored two consecutive three-point shots, and although there was time to draw the flow with a quick attack from an aggressive defense, it was not possible to finish the shot against the opponent's solid defense. I did.



Japan, who were not allowed to play at their own pace until the end, lost to Canada 56-70.



With this, Japan has now lost two games in a row, and their record in the group stage is 1 win and 2 losses. In their fourth match on the 26th, they will face France, ranked 6th in the world.

Onzuka head coach "I want to learn and make use of it next time"

Head coach Toru Onzuka said, "I wanted to catch the flow of the match with the ball, such as rebounds and loose balls, but it turned out to be the opponent's flow, and that was the difference between winning and losing. When I was chasing a goal, I was impatient and had a good shot. I couldn't hit the . I want to learn from this game and make use of it next time."



Looking ahead to the next game, he said, "Our goal is to pass the baton and fight through the game. We want players in good condition to run for a long time, and we want to help them reach their full potential and lead them to victory." I was.

Okoye: 'I'll keep shooting if given a chance'

Momoka Okoye commented on the scene where she scored two consecutive three-pointers in the 3rd quarter, saying, “Since the points difference was so far away, I thought I could only catch up with three-pointers, so I shot without hesitation. If I was given a chance, I would shoot. I am doing it with the feeling that I will continue to hit."



After that, she said, "The problem is that everyone doesn't have a common understanding. I think the remaining matches against France and Australia are important, so I want to switch things up."

Yamamoto: “I lost my rhythm”

Mai Yamamoto said, "We lost the rebound to a tall Canadian player, and we couldn't find our rhythm halfway through. There was a good flow along the way, but we couldn't continue it, which was the cause of our loss." I looked back on the game.



Looking ahead to the next match against France, she said, "I want to play fast basketball like Japan. The World Cup is not easy, so I want to make the most of my strengths in defense and the goodness of my teammates, even though the level of the people around me is high." was talking

Miyazaki: "I stalled after I caught the flow."

Saori MIYAZAKI said, “After we found the flow, everyone stalled. We lost important rebounds and continued to attack with 3-pointers even when we couldn’t make 3-point shots.” I looked back at how I fought.



On top of that, she said, "I was doing it while thinking that it was very difficult for me to get the ball easily. I couldn't get into a good offense right away."