Japan weathered Lee Hyunjung’s fiery performance, downing South Korea 78-70 to bounce back in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Sunday at Okinawa Arena.
The Akatsuki Five were coming off an 87-80 loss to China’s Team Dragon on the same floor last Thursday. This time, Japan relied on a late flurry to secure its third win in the qualifiers.
(C) FIBA.basketball
The game featured 18 lead changes before Japan finally seized control. Trailing 67-64, Yudai Baba sparked an 11-0 run, with Josh Hawkinson, Yuta Watanabe, Yudai Nishida, and Takumi Saito all contributing to the decisive stretch.
With the victory, Japan took the lead in Pool B, dropping South Korea to an even 2-2 record. The Koreans are still seeking their first win under Latvian head coach Nikolajs Mazurs.
Meanwhile, China and Chinese Taipei were still playing at the SM Mall of Asia Arena at the time of publication.
Hawkinson led Japan with 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, while Watanabe added 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Nishida and Naito contributed 12 and nine points, respectively.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Lee was once again spectacular for South Korea, scoring 28 points on five triples along with 11 rebounds. Yu Kisang and An Youngjun added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Japan will next face China in Shenyang, while South Korea will host Chinese Taipei on July 3.
