Sports

BASKETBALL | Japan Routs Philippines and Secures a Spot in the FIBA Asia Cup Quarterfinals

A 14-2 run in the first quarter set the tone for Japan, which finished with five double-digit scorers.

Published

2 years ago

July 20, 2022

Japan's Yudai Nishida shoots as the Philippines' Poy Erram defends in the first half of their FIBA Asia Cup match on July 19 in Jakarta. (Achmad Ibrahim/AP)

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.

Read the full story here, on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.

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.