Thanks to a whole boat load of points from Nick Fazekas, Japan has advanced to the second round of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifers after defeating Chinese-Taipei, 108-68. Rui Hachimura, the Gonzaga forward, chipped in 13 points in the win.
The win was impressive, and Japan will need many more like it. Chinese-Taipei struggled in Group B, going just 1-5 and finishing with a point differential of -126. Japan, on the other hand, won their final two games over Australia and Chinese-Taipei to secure a second life in the next round.
The big story from the tournament so far was Japan’s huge upset of Australia.