Japan Rout China by 20 Points to Reach First Asian Games Basketball Final
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Japan's men's basketball team delivered a commanding 97-77 victory over China in the Nagoya Asian Games semifinal on Friday, Sept 18, punching their ticket to the final for the first time in Asian Games history. The hosts seized control early and never looked back, building a lead as large as 35 points before coasting to a 20-point win in front of 5,758 spectators at the Nagoya arena. Guard Kanachi Ken starred with 19 points including four three-pointers, while naturalized center Alex Kirk contributed a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Japan will now face South Korea in Sunday's final after the Koreans beat Iran 77-51 in the other semifinal.
Key Points
- Japan built a commanding 28-15 lead after the first quarter, with Kanachi Ken sinking two three-pointers early and Alex Kirk dominating the paint
- The hosts extended their advantage to 49-30 at halftime, with China unable to close the gap despite 5 points from Cui Yongxi in the second quarter
- Japan opened the second half with a 10-4 run and later hit four consecutive three-pointers to lead 83-52 after three quarters, their largest margin at 35 points
- Hu Jinqiu scored 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter, but it was too little too late as Japan emptied their bench
- Japan advances to their first Asian Games basketball final; they previously earned silver twice under a round-robin format
- South Korea defeated Iran 77-51 to set up a Korea-Japan final, while China will face Iran for bronze on Sunday
Why It Matters
The victory marks a significant milestone for Japanese basketball, demonstrating the depth of their program even without NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura, as well as Yuta Watanabe, all of whom were absent from the squad . For China, the loss raises questions about their bench strength despite missing NBA prospect Yang Hansen and veteran Zhao Jiwei, as they now must settle for a bronze medal opportunity against Iran rather than competing for gold .
The victory marks a significant milestone for Japanese basketball, demonstrating the depth of their program even without NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura, as well as Yuta Watanabe, all of whom were absent from the squad . For China, the loss raises questions about their bench strength despite missing NBA prospect Yang Hansen and veteran Zhao Jiwei, as they now must settle for a bronze medal opportunity against Iran rather than competing for gold .