Packed Okinawa crowd fuels Japan for emotional comeback win

OKINAWA (Japan) - Japan pulled off the biggest comeback of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 so far and booted Finland out of contention, 98-88, Sunday night at the Okinawa Arena.

 

Josh Hawkinson, Yuki Kawamura, and Keisei Tominaga led the rally from as much as 18 points down in the third quarter as the Akatsuki broke through the win column of Group E and fanned their chances of advancing to the Second Round of the Group Phase.

Hawkinson finished with 28 points and 19 rebounds, Kawamura almost had a double-double with 25 points and 9 assists, while Tominaga added 17 as the two 22-year-old guards combined for 8 of the home team's 11 three-pointers in the emotional win witnessed by a capacity crowd.

Turning point: Kawamura poured 15 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, including the big three-point play conversion to put them ahead for good, 79-78, with 4:35 remaining.

Together with Hawkinson, they would string together another run to push their lead to nine, 87-78, with under three minutes to go. It was a 34-7 spree all in all for the Japanese to get to that point.

 

Another Kawamura triple and a Tominaga lay-up off the break gave them a decade's worth of an edge, 96-86, with 40 ticks left to play to shut the door close on Susijengi.

TCL Player of the Game: Hawkinson registered the highest efficiency rating by a player of this year's competition to date with 44, mainly behind an efficient field goal shooting (7-of-9) and a near-perfect accuracy from the foul line. He only missed one of his 15 bonuses.

 

Stats don't lie: Japan scored 35 points in the final period alone en route to chalking up their first World Cup win since 2006, which was held on their home soil.

Bottomline: By showing Finland (0-2) the door, Akatsuki Japan have improved to 1-1 in Group E. Their win also meant a lot for Germany (2-0) as they have qualified for the Second Round.

Moment of the Night: This one is for you, Slam Dunk Manga fans.

 

They said: "That was a crazy game. We were down 18 at one point, but the guys just never gave up. It was looking kinda bleak out there. We haven't shot the ball well in the last three or four games. I think the young guys, Kawamura and Tominaga came in and gave us a really big boost on the offensive end. Tominaga really was active on defense, too, which is really important for us. That was crazy. The fans were amazing. That was a big win for us. I'm really happy for the guys. We're trying to create a new standard here for Japan and this was definitely a big step in the right direction." - Tom Hovasse, Head Coach, Japan.

"Congratulations to Japan. They showed the spirit we've been seeing for years in their country as a team, what they do on the court. We talked before the game that whatever is the score, whatever is the situation, whoever is on the court, they will never give up. I think we have a responsibility as coaches, and the team, that 35 points in the fourth quarter you barely win the basketball game. They deserve the win." - Lassi Tuovi, Head Coach, Japan

Press conference:

 

FIBA