Led by Yoshii, who scored a game-high 15 points, the offense was balanced inside and outside.
The Japan Men’s National Basketball Team faced Kazakhstan in the second match of Window 5 of the World Cup Asian qualifiers. Japan showed solid defense throughout the game, scoring from drives in the first half and scoring from outside in the second half.
Japan’s starting lineup includes Yuki Togashi, Yutaro Suda, Aki Chambers, Tenketsu Harimoto and Luke Evans, the same line-up that they won against Bahrain the other day. Togashi hit a 3-pointer to start the game, and Japan continued to score from their drives. However, they struggled against Kazakhstan’s inside play and could not extend their lead. While the back and forth continued, Yutaka Yoshii, who recorded a game high 15 points on this day, managed to score from consecutive drives ending the first quarter at 16-13.
Even in the second quarter, Japan’s drive is clear. Against Kazakhstan’s zone defense, Togashi, who recorded five assists in the first half alone, drove in and matched Evans, throwing off the opposition’s defense. With 4 minutes and 37 seconds left, Harimoto made a 4-point play off a steal from Yuki Kawamura, putting the lead in double digits. In this way, Japan’s offense and defense worked well, and even in the last possession, Kawamura led to an easy score of a steal, and the first half ended with a huge lead of 45-27.
In the second half, Kazakhstan’s defense, which is wary of driving, was too much to move and extended its lead with an offensive 3-point shot. Yoshii, who saw the defense falling, sank a 3-point shot from the top position, and Harimoto and Togashi also followed with a 3-point shot. In addition, the second unit was also on the flow, as Sea of Teves repeatedly scored and assisted from the drive. Then, Japan continued their good defense by using many switches and hitting hard shots, and with a minute and a half remaining, Toves scored to put the lead at the 30 mark and decide the game.
