Saori Miyazaki uses her speed to overcome the height difference.
Maki Takada supported the team with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
The final opponent for the Japan Women’s National Team, which advanced to the finals of the 19th Asian Games (2022/Hangzhou), will be China, which is ranked 2nd in the FIBA rankings and was denied its sixth consecutive title by losing in the FIBA Women’s Asian Cup Final this summer. . Although they were behind by 10 points in the beginning, they recovered from their defense in the second half and were able to catch up to the tie. However, they were unable to make a comeback and lost again with a two-point difference, 72-74. Although they did not reach their goal of winning the gold medal, head coach Toru Onzuka said, “I think the players felt that if they could play their own basketball, they could get closer to victory.” The team worked together as one and fought with good energy. I would like to express my gratitude to the players who passed us, but I also regret that I was not able to help them win.
The reason for the loss was the first quarter, where they conceded four consecutive points and allowed a double-digit lead, 7-17. Head coach Onzuka said, “Due to the pressure from our opponent, we had a hard time getting into a rhythm, and there were times when we needed a little more effort.”China’s defense led to fast attacks and 3-point shots, making it exactly the same as Japan. We opened up a point difference due to our style. Maki Takada (Denso Iris) also has the impression that, “In recent years, China’s style has become similar to Japan’s, and since they are taller, I think they can now compete internationally.” That’s why he continued, “We shouldn’t have lost. We should have fought more as a team,” and in the first half, we allowed China to find their rhythm. Early in the second quarter, they had a 17-point lead, the largest of the game, at 18-35. However, with 3-point shots by Aika Hirashita (Toyota Motor Antelopes) and Saki Hayashi (Fujitsu Red Wave) and quick attacks from defense, Japan’s style began to emerge, and they narrowed the gap to 40-45. Fold back the first half.
The third quarter continued to be a frustrating period where the 6-point difference could not be narrowed. They weren’t allowed to take a 3-point shot, and the score was 51-57. In the final 10 minutes when they were chasing 6 points, Nanako Tofuji (Toyota Boshoku Sunshine Rabbits) made the first shot and the lead was 4 points. Ako Himawari (Denso Iris) and Todo led the game, and with less than five minutes remaining, the lead was one point, 63-64.
Following Nako Motohashi (Tokyo Haneda Vickies), Anri Hoshi (ENEOS Sunflowers) also missed the final due to poor health. With fewer guards, Mai Kawai (Toyota Antelopes) scored the equalizer with 3 minutes and 2 seconds remaining. Saori Miyazaki (ENEOS Sunflowers) said, “Kawai, who joined the training camp midway through (replacing Mai Yamamoto), was very active today as well, which helped me a lot. ” and saves the team. Even though China regained the lead, Ako grabbed the offensive rebound and screwed it in, and with 13.8 seconds left, Hayashi sank a 3-point shot, bringing the score back to 72-72. China then succeeded in their offense, making the score 72-74. As time was running out, Japan had another chance.
“I hit it normally, but I’m really disappointed that I couldn’t convert it in that situation,” said Ako, who couldn’t convert the shot from under the goal. After losing to China 72-74, Japan finished the tournament with their first silver medal since the 1994 Hiroshima Games.
Takada said, “Frankly, I’m disappointed,” but added, “During the game, the players talked with each other and were able to make corrections and express themselves.I also think that we got a really good experience from this team. ” and seize the opportunity to establish a new style in Japan. Head coach Onzuka has always predicted both offense and defense, saying, “If the opponent is going to do this, we’re going to do this.” He has strengthened his team by incorporating plays that exceed those expectations into his system. At last year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup, it felt like the way we played was a far cry from that ideal, but through this tournament we are starting to see it become a reality. “The most important thing is that you won’t go well if you only do what is set in stone. Within that set plan, how do you outsmart your opponent? I think I’ll get even better if I can move smoothly and in sync with the movements.”For Takada, this was a tournament where he could really feel the results.
It was a disappointing loss by two points (71-73), the same as the FIBA Women’s Asian Cup final held on July 2nd of this year. Comparing the same two-point difference, she said, “In my opinion, we were able to play a game more typical of Japan than at the FIBA Women’s Asian Cup.However, not being able to overcome the two-point difference at the end was a big issue.” This is said by Hirashita, who played with confidence as a shooter. Ako said, “Conceding 45 points in the first half was too much. In the second half, we made adjustments to our defense and were able to keep to 74 points, which was good. However, there are still many areas for improvement.” Miyazaki also said, “Our poor defense in the first half affected the result. I feel responsible for allowing the opposing guard (#4 LI Yuan) to score too many points. We put more pressure on them. However, we were able to protect our markman by ourselves. Japan has more leg strength, so if we had been more vocal on defense from the first half, I think we could have closed the gap between these two points.” We lost by the same 2-point difference, but this time we were able to capture their backs.
After the finals, the date was changed in the early hours of October 6th, and the pairings for the FIBA Paris 2024 Olympic World Final Qualifiers (*OQT), which will begin on February 8th next year, will be determined. 16 teams will participate, divided into 4 venues with 4 teams each, competing for 12 tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Japan will aim to be one of the top three teams and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, including host Hungary, Spain, and the teams that make it through the Americas qualifiers to be held in November, excluding the United States and Brazil.
Although we did not reach our goal of winning the gold medal this year, we were able to achieve our goal of achieving OQT next year, and Head Coach Onzuka also praised our efforts. Looking forward, Miyazaki said, “The team atmosphere was really good, and I want to do our best as a team for the next OQT.” Takada also said, “This result is disappointing, but it is important to win at OQT.I think there will be a similar development to this match.In order to gain the strength to win there, we need to further improve our team strength. I also felt that I had to do something,” said the Japanese women’s team, who have gained experience and are heading towards their big goal of becoming number one in the world.
2023-10-06 11:20:33
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