Japan beat Cape Verde in FIBA World Cup

Agency :
Japan beat Cape Verde 80-71 in the classification games 17-32 at the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Saturday.

Both teams played out a seesaw first quarter, while Japan drilled five three-pointers in the second quarter, helping them to lead the first half 50-37.

In the final quarter, Cape Verde managed to narrow the deficit with a 13-0 run until Josh Hawkinson scored six points in a row to stop the momentum and help Japan keep the lead to the end of the game.

With the victory, Japan directly qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as the best ranked team from Asia in the World Cup.

Hawkinson scored 29 points, Keisei Tominaga nailed six three-pointers, contributing 22 points off the bench.

Yuki Kawamura added 14 points and eight assists for Japan.