OSTEND (Belgium) - Japan locked out Sweden 75-54 as the host of this year's Olympic Games posted a statement victory in the opening game of the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ostend.

Sweden looked to be feeling the pressure  in the contest right from the tip and had no answer at both ends of the floor as the Asian champions turned up the dial in the second half.

Turning Point: Japan were an uncharacteristic 1-of-15 from downtown heading to the locker room at the interval. While they didn't exactly light it up when they returned, the four triples they did convert took the game away from Sweden late in the third period.

Game Hero: Ramu Tokashiki demonstrated why she has spent several seasons of her career playing in the WNBA. She was dominant and at times, unstoppable. She finished with a stellar haul of 21  points and 12 rebounds.

Stats Don't Lie: Sweden didn't fire at all and 1-of-16 from the perimeter highlighted their struggles.

Bottom Line: Sweden were way off the pace and looked both disjointed and nervous. Lacking fluidity on offense with so many big names misfiring, they left the defensive door open for Japan as well. There will be even more pressure now on Sweden as they prepare to face Canada and have not helped their cause in a potential three-way tie with the margin of the defeat. Meanwhile Japan took a little time to warm up, but once they got rolling,  they picked off Sweden with alarming ease.  

FIBA