Baba saves career-best for big Japan win over China
TOKYO (Japan) - Yudai Baba had his best performance so far in a FIBA competition so far in Japan's marquee matchup against China, helping AKATSUKI Japan to a monumental win.
TOKYO (Japan) - Yudai Baba had his best performance so far in a FIBA competition so far in Japan's marquee matchup against China, helping AKATSUKI Japan to a monumental win.
"...Baba hit some huge threes, he was on fire today and his defense was amazing," said Japan head coach Tom Hovasse.
"I think tonight, Yudai Baba was exceptional. We couldn't find the cure to stop him," said Chinese head coach Aleksandr Djordjevic.
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With an efficiency rating of 27, it marks as the highest Baba's has ever recorded in a FIBA competition to date.
Yudai Baba's Top 5 EFF Games
| # | Game | Event | EFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | vs China 76-73, 25/02/2024 | Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers | 27 | 24 |
| 2. | vs Iran 68-79, 25/08/2022 | World Cup 2023 Qualifiers | 26 | 27 |
| 3. | vs Argentina 77-97, 01/08/2021 | Tokyo Olympic Games | 23 | 18 |
| vs Hong Kong 92-59, 12/08/2017 | Asia Cup 2017 | 23 | 12 | |
| 5. | vs Qatar 85-47, 28/11/2018 | World Cup 2019 Qualifiers | 22 | 13 |
| vs Chinese Taipei 108-68, 02/07/2018 | World Cup 2019 Qualifiers | 22 | 13 |
Baba's performance is highlighted by a team-high 24 points on 4-6 three-point shooting, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. His scoring total was just 3 points shy of his FIBA career-high of 27 set in the previous World Cup Qualifiers.
Aside from being a standout individual performance by Baba, it was also a historic win as the first by Japan over China in a major international competition (FIBA Asia Cup and Qualifiers, FIBA World Cup and Qualifiers, and Olympic Games) in nearly 90 years. The last time Japan beat China in such a competition was in the 1936 Olympic Games.
FIBA