Balanced scoring carried Japan to a 102-81 victory over the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Cup on Tuesday night, July 19 in Jakarta.
In the qualifying match to determine the final team to earn a spot in the 16-nation tournament’s quarterfinals in the Indonesia capital, Japan had five double-digit scorers through three quarters and held a 14-point advantage entering the final stanza.
In the quarterfinals, Iran faces Jordan and Lebanon meets China on Wednesday, July 20. On Thursday, Australia plays Japan (tipoff at 7:30 PM JST) and South Korea takes on New Zealand.
The semifinals are set for Saturday after a rest day on Friday, followed by the third-place match and final on Sunday.
Veteran point guard Yuki Togashi paced Japan with 18 points, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range, and dished out six assists. Luke Evans, a naturalized Japanese citizen, contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. Yudai Nishida and Yuta Watanabe both scored 15 points. Watanabe also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Yutaro Suda poured in 14 points.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward’s [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.
