Led by the duo of Josh Hawkinson and Yuki Kawamura, Japan eliminated world No. 13 Finland with a stunning 98-88 victory in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Sunday at the Okinawa Arena.
This is also the first win by an Asian team in the global showpiece this year.
Hawkinson was the man in the middle for Japan, filling up the stat sheet with 28 points and 19 rebounds.
With Hawkinson as the anchor, Kawamura steered the ship as the reigning B.League Most Valuable Player tallied 25 points, built on four treys, and nine assists.
It was the duo, along with the sniping of young gun Keisei Tominaga, who carried Japan when it looked dead in the water as late as the third quarter.
“That was a crazy game; we were down, I think 18 at one point, but the guys just never gave up. It was looking kind of bleak for a minute. We haven’t shot the ball well for the last three to four games, and I think the young guys came in and gave us a really big boost on the offensive end,” said Japan head coach Tom Hovasse.
With Lauri Markannen gaining the hot hand, the visitors gained a 71-53 lead with 2:46 remaining.
Instead of giving up, the Akatsuki used it as a wake-up call.
After chopping the lead down to 10 entering the final frame, Tominaga fired a triple that ignited a 16-5 spurt capped by a Kawamura and-one play that gave the home side a 79-78 lead with 4:23 remaining.
The surge, with the Akatsuki trio taking charge, left the Finns stunned in disbelief.
“Tominaga was really active on defense too, which is really important for us. Yeah, that was crazy; the fans were amazing. It was a big win, a big win for us,” added Hovasse.
“I’m really happy for the guys who were trying to create a new standard here in Japanese basketball and this was definitely a big step in the right direction.”
Tominaga and Makoto Hiejima both contributed 17 points each as well.
Now, Japan sets its sights on Australia for the last second-round slot in the group. They face each other for the first time since the 2021 Olympics on Tuesday.
Markkanen gave it his all as he led the Wolfpack with 27 points and 12 rebounds. (Jan Marcus Montevirgen)
The Scores:
Japan 98 – Hawkinson 28, Kawamura 25, Tominaga 17, Hiejima 17, Baba 5, Watanabe 4, Yoshii 2, Togashi 0, Nishida 0, Hara 0
Finland 88 – Markkanen 27, Jantuten 13, Maxhuni 12, Salin 8, Valtonen 7, Nkamhoua 7, Madsen 5, Little 5, Kantonen 2, Grandison 2, Murphy 0
Quarterscores: 22-15, 36-46, 63-73, 98-88
