Japan stuns Finland for 1st win at FIBA World Cup in 17 years
By Bryan Ke
Japan’s national basketball team has secured its first-ever win at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in almost two decades.
What happened: The East Asian team won 98-88 against Finland in Okinawa, Japan, on Sunday.
This was Japan’s first-ever win against a European team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, as well as its first win at the FIBA Basketball World Cup since beating Panama in 2006.
Making a comeback: Japan managed to pull through with a comeback after being behind its Finnish opponents by 18 points in the third quarter.
Head coach Tom Hovasse told Kyodo News that the “crazy game” looked “kind of bleak for a minute” before Japanese guards Yuki Kawamura and Keisei Tominaga gave their team a “really big boost on the offensive end.” Tominaga, who studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been regarded as the “Japanese Steph Curry.”
Hovasse also said during a post-game news conference that the historic moment on Sunday was a “big win” for them as they are trying to “create a new standard here for Japan,” noting that the victory was “definitely a big step in the right direction.”
Emotions running high: Videos shared on X show fans bursting with emotion following the historic win. Some were filmed cheering for the national team, while others can be seen shedding tears.
Moving forward: Japan will face Australia in its final group game on Tuesday. The winner of this game will likely move on to the second round of the international competition.
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