CHANGSHA-HUNAN (2015 FIBA Asia Championship) - Joji Takeuchi had a wonderful outing as Japan trounced India, 83-65, to book their second triumph in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

India had a fast start in this one, erecting an 11-point lead early on and going to the second period up, 18-15. It was all downhill from there, however, as Japan turned up the jets and relied on the smooth combo play of dynamic duo Joji Takeuchi and Makoto Hiejima.

Takeuchi led the way with 22 points, while Hiejima added 19 points and 6 assists. Sniper Takatoshi Furukawa drained 3 triples en route to 15 points, while former NBA player Yuta Tabuse also did well with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals.

India’s big three of Amjyot Singh, Amrit Pal Singh, and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi had their numbers, but they didn’t get much support from the rest of the team. Vishesh paced the losing side with 24 points, while Amjyot and Amrit Pal, both of whom play professionally in Japan, combined to score 29.

Turning Point: Japan started flat in this one, falling behind, 16-5, at the 3:24 mark of the first quarter, but they eventually found their bearings, using a 10-2 run to end the period and cut the deficit to just 3 entering the second stanza. Coach Kenji Hasegawa’s wards then outscored India, 16-7, in the first 7 minutes of the second period to erect a 6-point bulge they would never relinquish.

Stats Don't Lie: Turnovers killed India’s chances here. Japan’s stingy defense forced India to commit 15 errors, which led to 12 fastbreak points for the Nippon quintet. Amjyot Singh was the chief culprit, coughing the ball up 7 times.

Game Hero: Joji Takeuchi was awesome here, grabbing 19 rebounds on top of his scoring total. He shot 50% from the field and even made 1 three-pointer. The big man who plays professionally for the Hitachi Sunrockers also handed out 2 assists and blocked 1 shot. He thoroughly outplayed Indian slotman Amrit Pal Singh, who ended up with 12 points on 5-of-18 field goal shooting.

The Bottom Line: With this win, Japan sent a message to the rest of the continent that they remain a force to be reckon with in Asia. Big man Joji Takeuchi was clinical in his dismantling of the Indian defense, doing a bit of everything as Team Hayabusa formalized their entry to the second round after finishing with a 2-1 win-loss record in Group A.

FIBA