FIBA Asia Cup: Japan Hammers Syria in the Teams' Opener

After an up-and-down performance in the first half, Japan rebounded with an improved effort at both ends of the floor in the second half. As a result, Japan trounced Syria 99-68 in the teams' opening match at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup on Wednesday, August 6.

Syria led 41-32 at halftime. World No 21 Japan then outscored Syria 67-27 in the third and fourth quarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Veteran big man Josh Hawkinson led Japan with 26 points and 13 rebounds, along with four assists and two blocks. He had 20 points after intermission to ignite his team to victory.

Japan's Keisei Tominaga finished with 18 points and six rebounds, and Hirotaka Yoshii also had a productive game, contributing 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Yoshii was 3-for-3 on 3-point attempts.

Yuki Togashi came off the bench and sank 3 of 5 3-point attempts to account for his nine points, and Ren Kanechika contributed eight points.

After committing eight turnovers in the first half, Japan coach Tom Hovasse's squad only had two more giveaways the rest of the game.

FIBA Asia Cup — *Josh Hawkinson had a double-double (26 points, 13 rebounds) against Syria. (©FIBA)*

Adjustments at Halftime

What was Hovasse's message to his players at halftime?

"Basically, it was just, 'Let's play our style of basketball,' " Hovasse said after the game.

"We kind of got out of sync [in the first half] and we weren't doing the small things that we normally do," he acknowledged.

Japan had a more cohesive effort after its halftime pep talk.

Looking back at the game, Hovasse commended Yoshii, who also competes as a small forward for the B.League's San-en NeoPhoenix. Hovasse credited Yoshii's impactful play as a key to the win, citing the energy he brought onto the court.

Another key factor was Yudai Baba's defensive effort on Syria guard Keron DeShields.

"DeShields is a great player, and Baba took it upon himself to really take that challenge and he did fantastic," Hovasse commented.

Japan faces Iran in another Group B group phase game on Friday.

FIBA Asia Cup Success Against Syria

Akatsuki Japan improved its all-time record in the FIBA Asia Cup against Syria to 4-1. It was the teams' first tournament showdown since Japan routed Syria 117-56 in July 2022 in Jakarta.

In the runaway victory in Jeddah, Japan made 14 of 32 3s and held 71st-ranked Syria to 3-for-11 from beyond the arc.

DeShields paced Syria with 21 points, but was held to four points in the second half. The Baltimore native also had eight rebounds and seven assists.

Christian James Maran and Omar Cheikh Ali added 14 and 10 points for Syria.

Postgame Reactions from Syria

In the first half, "the players really locked in and did what we asked them to do," Syria coach Joey Stiebling told reporters after the game.

The American-born bench boss said Japan made adjustments at halftime, and "we tried to make adjustments but we just couldn't execute defensively, and we gave up 66 points in the second half."

DeShields said, "When we turned the ball over, they got going because they feed off of that."

The difference, he noted, "was turnovers and transition defense."

Up next: Syria will play Guam on Friday.

A Pivotal Stretch for Japan

Japan erased Syria's halftime advantage with a tone-setting 12-0 run, including eight straight points by Yoshii, to open the third quarter. A Hawkinson layup gave Japan a 42-41 lead at the 8:08 mark. Yoshii delivered the assist.

"Those first two minutes coming out of halftime, I think, were the big key to the game," Hawkinson said.

"I think that calmed us down," he added, saying, "we played our style of basketball in the second half."

Syria trimmed Japan's six-point lead to 51-47 on a pair of free throws with about 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Japan responded by pulling away. A Koya Kawamata putback put his team ahead 60-49. And entering the fourth quarter, Syria trailed 60-51.

Moments later, Hovasse's squad initiated a 13-0 scoring spurt. It started with a Yoshii layup and ended with a Tominaga step-back 3-pointer, giving Japan a 73-53 advantage with 7:56 left.

Repeatedly scoring in transition and utilizing its speed, Japan was in control at that point and maintained its sizable lead for the rest of the game.

A Strong Start for Japan

In the early going, Japan jumped out to a 9-0 lead. A Tominaga layup and free throw capped the game-opening run.

Syria scored its first points on a Mohamad Bilal Atli jam at the 6:40 mark of the first quarter. And his team chipped away at the lead while grabbing momentum.

At the same time, Japan's turnovers and missed shots helped Syria mount its comeback.

DeShields sank four free throws on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead to 14-12.

Togashi drained a 3-pointer on the final shot of the opening stanza and Japan led 18-12 heading into the second quarter.

DeShields dominated on offense, sparking Syria to a 30-22 lead on a high-arcing 3-point shot with 6:37 to play until halftime. Seconds later, teammate Hani Adribi followed with a layup to give Syria a 10-point advantage.

Although Japan still trailed by nine points at halftime, Hovasse said later the team's defensive effort began to make an impact toward the end of the first half.

FIBA Asia Cup Notes

Australia is the reigning FIBA Asia Cup champion.

The event, previously known as the FIBA Asia Championship, was rebranded as the FIBA Asia Cup in 2017.

In Saudi Arabia, the 2025 edition of the tournament features 16 national teams and runs through August 17.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.