YOKOHAMA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The second window will be crucial for both Japan and Chinese Taipei as they clash to earn their first wins in the Asian Qualifiers.

Both Japan and Chinese Taipei lost to Australia and the Philippines last November. Now the two East Asia sides collide in an encounter that may potentially have significant effects on who advances to the next round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers and who gets pushed by the wayside.

Japan and Chinese Taipei, of course, are no strangers to each other. Both teams have been major contenders in the FIBA Asia circuit since the 1960s, and they know each other very well. What makes their meeting here in the second window at the Yokohama International Arena quite special, however, are the stakes. A triumph will not only finally give a team one notch in the win column, but, more importantly, it will give that winning side the inside track to earning tickets to Group F as the third window approaches mid-year.

Key Matchups:
Makoto Hiejima and Chou Yi-Hsiang have been playing against each other since their days at the youth level, and both have evolved into the elite perimeter scorers of their respective teams. Hiejima led Japan in scoring in the first window with 18.5 points per game, while Chou struggled with his shot, making just 9.5 points per contest last November. Nobody should be shocked if these two will try to guard each other, but the onus is on Chou to try and slow down the prolific Hiejima lest Taipei absorb the brunt of the latter's scoring prowess.

Up front, veteran slotman Joji Takeuchi will be tasked to defend Chinese Taipei naturalized center Quincy Davis, who was impressive in the first window with 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Davis will once again be the focal point of Taipei's offense in the second window, and his production will be critical to how well coach Chou Chun-San's team will fare. Takeuchi will have the unenviable task of trying to hamper Davis's production, and though the 6ft 10in (2.07m) Takeuchi has the size to match up well with Davis, the jury is still out on whether the 33-year-old can still hack it at this level or is he already over-the-hump?

Key Stats:
Japan will have an edge in speed against Chinese Taipei despite both Yuki Togashi and Yuta Tabuse missing the final 12-man roster for this game. Two other elite B. League guards will man the reins for the Akatsuki Five - Ryoma Hashimoto and Naoto Tsuji. They will need to push the tempo and make sure Japan's transition game has a good flow. Failing to do so means engaging Taipei in a slog, which their naturalized big man Davis can easily exploit.

Over on the Chinese Taipei side of things, they will certainly need to take better care of the basketball. They averaged 17.5 turnovers per game in the first window, and they cannot afford to do that against Japan, who love capitalizing on their foes' mistakes. What Taipei need to do to present a legitimate challenge to the Japanese is accurate outside shooting. If snipers like Chou, Chen Ying-Chen, Su I-Chieh and Lee Kai-Yan find the bottom of the net, the Taipei quintet have a good chance to pull off an upset; otherwise, Japan may not have a very difficult time to record their first W of the Asian Qualifiers.

FIBA