2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Japan rallies to dispatch India late

(Updated 2:41pm) Japan trailed for most of the way until a big fourth quarter push put them over India, 73-64, Friday at the MOA Arena, in their 2013 FIBA Asia Championship classification battle.

With the win, Japan will get the chance to fight for a ninth place finish against the winners of today's first game, Hong Kong. India meanwhile will play Bahrain, with the winner finishing as number 11, ahead of Saudi Arabia.

Japan held India to just five points in the final minutes, turning a 59-55 deficit into a 66-59 lead, when JR Sakuragi found Tsuji Naoto for an easy make, after the latter blocked a three-pointer attempt on the previous play, 1:37 remaining in the game.

Amjyot Singh got his own miss and scored for India, 66-61, 56 seconds left, but his side continued to unravel, with Vishesh Bhriguvanshi giving up an unsportsmanlike foul with nine seconds left to allow Japan to wrap this one up completely.  

Takeuchi Kosuke and Tsuji Naoto led Japan with 12 points apiece. JR Sakuragi came off the bench for 10 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a swat, while Hiejima Makoto and Ota Atsuya also chipped in 10 markers each.

India began strong with an 8-2 lead, which they stretched to a 13-point difference, 25-12, with 1:44 left in the initial quarter, thanks to a triple from Bhriguvanshi. Japans's Ota Atsuya and Hiejima Makoto however got their deficit down to single digits after one period, 25-16.

It didn't stay at single digits for very long though, as Amritpal Singh nailed a two-pointer, just under a minute into the second quarter, 27-16. It got to a high of 17, 3:35 left in the first half, but Japan made some in-roads, knocking that number down to 12 on a buzzer-beater by Tsuji, 41-29 entering the intermission.

With the India lead at 14, 46-32, 7:46 remaining in the third, Japan abruptly found their groove, reeling off a 14-2 run to get within two, 48-46, at the 3:22 mark, courtesy of a score by Takeuchi Kosuke.

Off a timeout, back-to-back turnovers by Hiejima allowed India to gain some separation, and Narender Grewal capitalized by making it a two-possession affair, 54-50 after the penultimate quarter.

In the fourth, Japan got within a point off an and-one play by Ichioka Hiroshi and an Ota make, the latter connection coming with 7:49 left on the clock, 56-55. Japan was gifted some second-chance opportunities, but it wasn't until the 4:02 mark that they were finally able to knot their foes on a Takeuchi basket, 59-all.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi led India with an all-around performance of 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. However, Rikin Shantilal Pethani was his only teammate to also score in double figures, amassing 11 points and eight rebounds.

Japan shook off a 2-of-16 clip at the three-point line to finish with 41 percent shooting, versus 38 percent for India. Helping Japan out was a 27-18 difference in free throws, as well as a 34-20 margin in points in the paint.

India however was able to tie Japan in rebounds, 37-all, and made better use of their caroms with a 10-2 lead in second-chance points.  - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Japan 73 - Takeuchi 12, Tsuji 12, Ota 10, Hiejima 10, Sakuragi 10, Tanaka 9, Matsui 3, Ichioka 3, Watanabe 2, Sakurai 2, Kurihara 0, Kanamaru 0

India 64 - Bhriguvanshi 12, Pethani 11, Amjyot Singh 9, Joginder Singh 9, Yadwinder Singh 7, Grewal 6, Amritpal Singh 3, Pratham Singh 2

Quarter scoring: 16-25, 29-41, 50-54, 73-64