Impressive Japan makes it rain on Spain – FIBA ​​Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament Hungary 2024

Sopron, Hungary – Japan opened the FIBA ​​Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament with an easy 86-75 victory over Spain, showing off the jump ball.

The long-awaited first meeting in Sopron. Japan found the hot hand early and managed to resist Spain’s multiple comeback attempts.

turning point: Nothing really happened, as Japan flew all over Spain from tip-off and a great start laid the foundation for a great victory on the first day. Just one minute into the second period, Spain led 31-18, and although Spain rallied, they never really took control.

TCL Player of the Game: Saki Hayashi made a spectacular return to action, scoring a brilliant 20 points in the first half alone, including five 3-point shots. She ended up getting six knockdowns from deep and also had six rebounds.

Statistics don’t lie: Japan played against Japanese basketball, but Spain had trouble dealing with its trademark long-range shots and quick transitions. Akatsuki Japan made an astonishing 15 triples in this game.

Conclusion: Japan was as vibrant as ever during its impressive run at Tokyo 2020. Fierce defense, great fast break spacing, ball movement and deadly shooting. It’s difficult for any team to stop that. Hayashi starred in the film, but Mai Yamamoto and Evelyn Mauri had great cameos with scores of 15 and 20, respectively.

Spain knew what was going to happen, but they used a run-and-gun early in the game to give Japan the lead. They sank because they couldn’t quite figure out the tempo and couldn’t decide on half-court matchups. In closely fought groups, the range of losses may become an issue. Positives included Raquel Carrera’s 19 points and Megan Gustafsson’s 15 points in her debut.

they said: “This is a big win to get us one step closer to Paris. Personally, I made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and that set the tone for the game.” Japan Guard Saki Hayashi

“We played as a team and I’m very proud of it, not just the players on the court but also on the bench. We had energy and it was beyond that of the Spanish team.” Japan national team head coach Toru Onzuka

“I want to congratulate Japan because they played a really good game. There were moments where it was a little difficult for us to stop their very high rhythm. We made some adjustments and found our options in attack. But this is a tough loss.” Spain national team winger Alba Torrence.

“Japan played at their level, but we didn’t. We have two more games, so we want to be ready. We will try to understand our performance. We will play even better tomorrow. Let’s go.” Spanish playmaker Miguel Mendes.

FIBA