TOKYO (Japan) - Rui Hachimura starred yet again as Japan walloped Qatar anew, 123-70, to complete a 2-game sweep of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Monday night at the Toyota Arena.
Sustaining his fine play from their conquest of Saudi Arabia, the NBA forward erupted for 28 points alongside 6 rebounds and 4 assists, as his perfect start enabled the home team to set the tone for the rout.
"I was worried about how Rui and Yuki are going to fit in this team. But they respected our chemistry," said Coach Dai Oketani. "They tried to fit into the existing chemistry. That was a very good surprise for us."
He went 5-for-5 from 3-point distance for 19 points in the first half, starting out 3-for-3 for 11 in the opening quarter to help his side build a 29-11 lead, eventually leading to the victory that rewrote history books.
Record books
The Japanese, as a whole, drained a total of 20 shots from deep, which is now tied for 3rd-most in Asian Qualifiers records as New Zealand also drained the same amount in their 133-74 win over Hong Kong back in 2017.
Such an accuracy allowed the crew to place itself in Asian Qualifiers' scoring records as well, with their output tied for 4th-most with Australia, who made theirs just last August 28 in a 123-64 conquest of Syria in Manila.
They also finished with 39 assists, which is now the 2nd-most behind the 40 set by New Zealand against Guam back in Window 3 last July. Ten of those dimes were courtesy of Yuki Kawamura, who also had 5 points.
And playing with so much confidence was thanks to Hachimura, who shot 60-percent from the floor, including a 6-of-8 clip from beyond the arc. He also had 3 steals and 4 blocks in a turnover-less outing for an efficiency of 40.
Collective effort
But just like against the Saudis, the others also made their mark in the wire-to-wire conquest, which improved Japan's record to 6-2 in Group F.
Keisei Tominaga finished with 23 points, 10 of which he made in the first as he joined hands with the Los Angeles Clipper in putting together the hot start, which he himself capped with an off-balanced 3 to end the quarter.
Joshua Hawkinson came just short of another double-double performance with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Yuta Watanabe supplied 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench, while Yudai Nishida chipped in 11.
"Rui and Kawamura joining the team made us happy and they gave a really big impact to the team. But every player had their roles and they fulfilled their roles," offered Watanabe. "We became one team."
Puzzle unsolved
Abdulla Mousa, meanwhile, had 14 points to lead Qatar, who bowed to Japan for the 4th time in a row in FIBA play. The last time the country won was 13 years ago during the FIBA Asia Cup 2013 in Manila, Philippines.
Ousmane Dieng, Ndoye Seydou, and Abdelrahman Abdelraheem made 12 points apiece, while veteran guard Mike Lewis II added 11 for the 2027 World Cup hosts, which went 0-2 this window and dropped to 4-4.
FIBA