Japan Men’s Basketball Team struggles to make shots, but demonstrates ideal style in the second half to beat Kazakhstan – Basket Count |

The defense did not collapse until the end, pushing away with an explosive transition

The Japan Men’s Basketball National Team faced Kazakhstan in their second match of Window 4 of the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Japan’s starting pitchers are Yuki Togashi, Shin Hiejima, Yudai Baba, Soichiro Inoue and Nick Fazikas. Although he created a good form, such as a kickout from a paint touch, the important shot didn’t hit and he got off to a heavy start. Yuki Kawamura, who started as a substitute, tried to increase his pace, and when the transition began to appear, a rhythm was born, but in the first half alone, he was deprived of nine offensive rebounds and committed seven turnovers, so he could not take the initiative. . The 3-point shoot, which is a lifeline, ended in failure with 3 successes (16.6%) out of 18, and finished the first half with a tie of 27-27.

In the second half, Fuzzy Cass, who ended up scoring two goals in the first half, scored four consecutive goals, and the offense was activated by starting with him. From Togashi’s kickout and ball push, Inoue made consecutive 3-point shots to take a double-digit lead. After that, there was a scene where he conceded a goal due to a mistake and was counterattacked, but Kawamura manipulated the transition offense that was full of character, scoring consecutively from fast attacks and leading to the final quarter with a 12-point lead.

Japan’s offense and defense finally began to mesh in the 3rd quarter and continued their momentum. After Inoue took the lead with a 3-point shot, the team dominated the game by running from a tough defense. Three and a half minutes into the game, Hiejima scored a shot under the goal, bringing the score difference to the 20 mark. Japan, who took the safety lead in spite of this struggle, won with a final score of 73-48.