Thanks to a narrow victory against Cape Verde (80-71), the Japanese finish as the first Asian nation of this 2023 World Cup and go directly to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A great success for Japan, which had fallen into a group very complicated at the start of the World Cup.
Japan had to win against Cape Verde to validate its ticket for Paris 2024 and it’s done! An 80-71 victory with a HUGE scare in the last quarter when the Japanese saw the Cape Verdeans come back to 4 points after a huge 15-0 run. Okinawa’s fusion audience must have been stressed.
Cabo Verde go on a 13-0 run to open the 4th quarter! ๐ฆ #FIBAWC x #WinForCaboVerde ๐จ๐ป pic.twitter.com/dLbik49HXV
โ FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) September 2, 2023
Apart from this little heat stroke at the end of the match, Japan quietly managed this game in front of their home crowd, relying once again on their interior Josh Hawkinson, unplayable since the start of the tournament and author today of 29 points and 7 rebounds.
The group stage had been too complicated for the Japanese with Germany, Finland and Australia on the menu. The victory against Finland seemed to act as an electroshock and the locals finally went to get this precious sesame by beating Venezuela and Cape Verde. It is the second team of the day to validate its ticket to Paris after South Sudan created a sensation at the start of the day.
Gentlemen, see you in a year!
2023-09-02 13:13:00
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