2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Japan shoots down Hong Kong for ninth place

Japan bagged a ninth place finish in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, shooting down Hong Kong, 79-50, on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Hong Kong on the other hand ends their run at 10th place in the tournament.

Kanamaru Kosuke led all scorers with 25 points. Atsuya Ota aded 15 markers and nine rebounds, while Yuta Watanabe and Sean Ichioka scored 13 and 10, respectively, while the latter also gathered eight rebounds.

Hong Kong surprised Japan in the first quarter, taking a 16-10 lead over the more experienced squad on a Chen Siu Wing triple. But the lead didn't last for long as with two and a half minutes left, Yuta Watanabe attacked the basket on Japan's next three possessions. Watanabe came away with seven straight points, securing a 17-16 edge for Japan after the first period.

Japan extended their run in the second quarter, as Atsuya Ota and Kosuke Kanamaru took turns breaking down Hong Kong's defense. Hong Kong struggled mightily from the field, but kept their hopes alive from the charity stripe, 33-26.

With under two minutes to play, Duncan Reid converted an undergoal stab to give Hong Kong just their third bucket of the period. But Ota responded with an and-one put-back during the next play, and Makoto Heijima added another tip-in as they threatened to pull away at halftime, 38-29.

Kanamaru and Ota scored 17 of Japan's 21 points in the second quarter.

Japan widened the lead to 15 points, 44-29, on a Watanabe put-back at around the six-minute mark. Hong Kong enjoyed a fleeting stretch of offense when a Li Kim Wong trey sparked seven unanswered points against a careless Japan squad, 44-36.

However, Japan took off with a 9-0 run, as Takahiro Kurihara scored after swiping the inbounds following a Kanamaru triple. Lee added charities with 22 seconds left to finish the period, 53-38.

Kanamaru dropped eight straight points in a 10-0 blast, to open the fourth quarter, 63-38, breaching the 20-point mark in the first two minutes. A breakaway hoop by Ota pushed it to 69-39 midway through the frame, burying Hong Kong to finish their FIBA Asia stint on a high note.

Japan converted 34-of-69 (49 percent) from the field, while Hong Kong were a mere 18-of-57 (32 percent). Japan also led in points in the paint (42-20) and turnover points (21-2), racking up just 11 miscues to Hong Kong's 24.

Duncan Reid top-scored for Hong Kong with 18 points and 13 rebounds. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Japan 79 - Kanamaru 25, Ota 15, Watanabe 13, Ichioka 10, Tsuji 4, Sakurai 4, Kurihara 2, Takeuchi 2, Matsui 2, Hiejima 2, Sakuragi 0, Tanaka 0

Hong Kong 50 - Reid 18, Lee 8, Li 8, Tung Leung Lau 6, Chan 5, Wong 2, S. Chan 2, Szeto 1, Lam 0, Tsz Lai Lau 0

Quarter scoring: 17-16, 38-29, 53-34, 79-50