In Thrilling FIBA World Cup Qualifier, Japan Prevails Over South Korea

Japan wrapped up its FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Group B qualifier against South Korea with a game-ending 14-2 scoring spurt on Sunday, March 1.

In Okinawa City, the hosts earned a 78-72 victory, rebounding from a seven-point loss to China in Dai Oketani's national team coaching debut on February 26.

Naturalized big man Josh Hawkinson, who attended Washington State University, paced Japan with 24 points and corralled eight rebounds. The Sunrockers Shibuya standout, who didn't play against China, made 9 of 12 shots from 2-point range to give the offense a big boost.

Weighing his options before the previous World Cup qualifier, Oketani decided that Ryukyu Golden Kings center Alex Kirk's physical condition was better than Hawkinson's. As a result, Kirk was called upon to fill one of Akatsuki Japan's roster spots against China. (FIBA, basketball's world governing body, permits one naturalized player to be on a team's active roster for official matches.)

FIBA — *Japan's Josh Hawkinson takes a shot from close range in the second quarter. (©KYODO)*

Former NBA forward Yuta Watanabe also had a key performance against South Korea, contributing 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The Chiba Jets star logged nearly 37 minutes, more than any other player on either team.

After a 5-for-16 shooting performance against China, Yudai Nishida finished with 12 points and three steals on Sunday. The SeaHorses Mikawa guard was 4-for-7 from the floor as Japan employed a balanced offensive attack.

Veteran players Takumi Saito (nine points, four assists) and Yudai Baba (six points, six rebounds, five assists, one block) also made key contributions for Japan.

A Notable Win in a FIBA Tournament Qualifier

Sunday's victory was the Japan senior national team's first triumph over South Korea in a major FIBA event since the second round of the 1997 Asian Cup.

Before Sunday, Japan had dropped six consecutive matches, all in the Asian Cup, against South Korea.

After his first victory as national team head coach, Oketani commended the players for their resilience and poise.

"After the Chinese game, it was mentally quite tough, but the players changed their mindset," Oketani said during a press conference. "Compared to the Chinese game, today the tough situation came really quick at the beginning. Even though there were tough situations, the players stayed composed. Takumi [Saito] and Joshua [Hawkinson] in the critical time, they showed us fine play."

Oketani then said, "As a team, the defense was also good. It was crucial to stop them and control the boards. So we got this victory as a team."

After the game, Hawkinson was also fired up about Japan's solid all-around performance.

"I think we did a good job of really locking in, even in the short amount of time between the two games to change our mindset and change some things in order to stop them to our best ability," Hawkinson told reporters.

He added, "Losing the game to China really hurt. So we knew we really needed to bounce back and win this game and I think there's a lot of guys who had that fighting spirit to not give up till the very end. I think we showed that with big shots, big plays [at] the end of the game. So I'm really proud of my teammates and coaches for making those adjustments."

Japan Seizes Momentum in 4th Quarter

In the fourth quarter of this back-and-forth game, which featured 18 lead changes and eight ties, Japan's determination and teamwork was on full display. A 10-second sequence at Okinawa Suntory Arena provided a vivid example.

With 6:54 remaining, Saito made a steal, then missed an off-balance jumper. Baba grabbed the offensive rebound and Watanabe followed with a 3-pointer, pulling Japan within 62-61.

South Korea led 67-63 after a Hyunjung Lee 3-pointer with 4:27 remaining. But Japan responded with a Baba 3 to pull within one.

A Watanabe slam dunk gave Japan a 70-67 advantage at the 2:18 mark.

On South Korea's next possession, Lee, who finished with a game-best 28 points and 11 rebounds, was fouled by Baba while attempting a 3-pointer. The Nagasaki Velca star sank the first free-throw attempt, missed the second, then drained his final shot. At that point, South Korea trailed 70-69.

Seconds later, Nishida made a clutch shot, converting a layup to make it 72-69. And Japan gave itself a little breathing room with a Saito 3-pointer and a pair of Saito free throws. When the second foul shot flew through the hoop, the scoreboard displayed the following: Japan 77, South Korea 69. And only 50 seconds remained.

Baba then made the first of two free throws with 37 seconds to play.

South Korea cut the lead to 78-72 on a Kisang Yu 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

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Additional Details on Japan vs South Korea

Watanabe scored the game's first points on a dunk. Baba dished out the assist.

Hawkinson pushed the early lead to 5-0 with a 3-pointer.

To close out the first quarter, Keisei Tominaga canned two foul shots, and Japan pulled within 16-15.

Late in the second quarter, Japan stretched its lead to 39-34 on a Nishida layup. Teammate Ren Kanechika's 3 made it 42-36 with 47 seconds until halftime.

Japan held a 42-38 lead entering the third quarter.

South Korea took a 55-54 advantage into the final period.

As the final quarter played out, rebounding was one big factor that secured the win for Japan. Oketani's club outrebounded the visitors 41-28.

Japan also had an 18-6 advantage in second-chance points and outscored South Korea 38-18 in the paint.

Updated Standings

After the completion of play on Sunday, Japan leads Group B with a 3-1 record. South Korea and China are 2-2 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, while Taiwan is 1-3.

Also Sunday, China defeated Taiwan 100-93 in Manila.

The next batch of Group B qualifiers will be played July 2-5.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.