Japan’s women’s basketball team secured a narrow 61-58 victory over China in the opening game of a pre-Olympic warm-up series on Wednesday in Xi’an, northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province.
Akaho Himawari led Japan with 15 points, helping her team overturn an early deficit. The hosts, China, started strong with Zhang Ru contributing to a 5-0 lead. Luo Xinyu’s consecutive three-pointers extended China’s lead to 20-13 by the end of the first quarter.
However, China’s offense stalled in the second quarter, experiencing a scoring drought of over five minutes. Japan capitalized on this, surging ahead to take a two-point lead midway through the period. Adjustments in China’s offensive tactics led to a tied halftime score of 31-31 against the Tokyo Olympic Games runners-up.
In the third quarter, Yang Shuyu’s first basket gave China a five-point advantage. Despite China’s solid defense, Japan’s Mai Yamamoto and Evelyn Mawuli responded with accurate shots from beyond the arc, narrowing the gap to three points entering the final quarter.
Japan’s momentum continued in the fourth quarter, with Yamamoto and Saki Hayashi propelling the visitors to a 51-50 lead within the first two minutes. With just under four minutes remaining, Akaho extended Japan’s lead to seven points with an effortless layup.
China fought valiantly in the closing minutes, but Japan maintained their composure to secure the road win. “We have played four tough games consecutively; the busy schedule is a challenge for us,” commented China’s head coach Zheng Wei.
The two teams will meet again on Friday at the same venue, offering China an opportunity to even the series.
Reference(s):
Japan edge China in women's basketball pre-Olympic warm-up series
cgtn.com
