KOBE (Japan) - Joshua Hawkinson showcased his all-around brilliance to help Japan get off to a hot start in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers with a 90-64 conquest of Chinese Taipei, Friday night.
The bruising big man finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, plus 2 steals and 1 block as he was crucial in their hot start toward the blowout that left their fans at the Glion Arena Kobe with much satisfaction.
Turning point
The home team zoomed to a 23-10 lead to end the game's first 10 minutes and that came about thanks to his conscious effort to facilitate for his teammates as he dished 5 of his dame in the opening period alone.
Assist no. 5 even turned into a highlight-worthy play as it led to a three-point play conversion by Keisei Tominaga, which also pushed their lead to 20-8 with 1:14 to go and thus set the tone for the one-sided affair.
Hawkinson would also be responsible in pushing the margin to 30 points, 65-35, approaching the final minute of the third canto as he manufactured six consecutive points, four of which came from the free throw line.
Key players
But it wasn't all Hawkinson for Team Japan as the others made their mark as well in the triumph. Newly named captain Yuta Watanabe top-scored for the squad with 20 points alongside 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Yudai Baba came through with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, while Keisei Tominaga fired 13 points off the bench - spiked by a pair of three-pointers - and also collected 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
*This article will be updated shortly.