Japan's men's basketball team, which will be participating in the Paris Olympics, defeated Guam 77-56 in the first round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers, the first official game this year.
Japan's men's basketball team, ranked 26th in the world, made it to the Olympics last year on their own for the first time in 48 years, and on the night of the 22nd, they played their first official game this year at the Ariake Coliseum, the first round of the Asian Cup qualifiers. We played against Guam, which is ranked 76th in the world.
In the first quarter of the game, Josh Harrelson, who acquired Japanese citizenship last September and was selected for the national team for the first time, made three three-point shots, giving the team a five-point lead at 17-12.
In the second quarter, they had a hard time making shots, but on the contrary, they were able to score points from their opponents' quick attacks and attacks that used the height below the goal, and the first half ended with them leading by one point, 35-36.
In the third quarter, Yuki Kawamura, the 22-year-old playmaker, stole the ball from a tough defense and scored, and he led the team with assists and shots off the dribble that utilized his speed, making the game 55-44. I turned it over.
In the fourth quarter, the entire team made four three-point shots, extending the lead, and Japan won 77-56.
Aiming to raise the level of their strength in preparation for the Paris Olympics, Japan has been invited to this tournament with many members other than those from last year's World Cup, and in the first match they showed a difference in their abilities and won the game, but they lacked the ability to use their characteristic three-point shooting. There were some issues with the team only making 12 out of 45 shots, giving them a success rate of just over 26%.
Japan's next match in the first round of the Asian Cup qualifiers will be held on the 25th of this month, against China, who are ranked 29th in the world.
Yuki Kawamura ``This is far from the basketball I'm aiming for''
Yuki Kawamura, who scored the team's top score with 15 points, said, ``We had a tough time, but we were able to overcome it with everyone's support.The basketball content was far from what we were aiming for, but as a team we did well. Looking back on the game, he said, ``I hope I can prepare myself as an individual and play good basketball for the next game against China.''
He then talked about his mindset in the second half when the game turned around, saying, ``My team and I were having a hard time improving our three-point shooting success rate, so we tried to play solid defense.''