Basketball

Basketball: Japan Overpowers Taiwan in FIBA World Cup Qualifier

In the teams' opening basketball match of the Asian qualifiers, Japan jumped out to a 45-22 lead by halftime in Kobe. Yuta Watanabe had a team-high 20 points.

by
Ed Odeven
November 29, 2025

Japan cruised to a 90-64 victory over Taiwan in the teams' first 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Group B qualifier on Friday night, November 28.

Former NBA forward Yuta Watanabe paced Akatsuki Japan with 20 points, including 14 in the first half. Backup guard Keisei Tominaga had all 13 of his points before halftime.

In the second quarter, Tominaga, a former University of Nebraska standout, nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 1 second remaining. That gave the hosts a 45-22 lead heading into halftime at Glion Arena Kobe.

Japan extended its advantage to 59-29 on a Koya Kawamata layup with 2:58 left in the third quarter.

Taiwan, ranked 67th in the latest FIBA world rankings, trailed 65-42 entering the fourth quarter.

World No 22 Japan maintained a big lead in the closing minutes of the first-round qualifier.

With 1:04 remaining, Japan guard Seiya Ando's 3-pointer made it 88-60. He also nailed a jumper with 4 seconds left for Japan's final points of the game.

Taiwan shot 21-for-56 from the field, including 6 of 26 from 3-point range. The visitors struggled to handle the basketball on offense, finishing with 15 assists and 19 turnovers.

Japan small forward Yudai Baba, a disruptive presence on defense, had a game-best three steals. The Nagasaki Velca player also contributed 14 points in the rout.

Notable Statistics in the FIBA Qualifier

In addition to Watanabe, Tominaga and Baba, Josh Hawkinson also scored in double figures. He notched a double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds). The veteran big man for the B.League's Sunrockers Shibuya also chipped in with eight assists, two steals and a block in 29-plus minutes.

Japan outrebounded Taiwan 49-33, and coach Tom Hovasse's winning squad also chalked up 28 assists against 11 turnovers.

Watanabe handed out five assists, while floor leader Yuki Togashi and Takumi Saito were credited with four apiece.

Although the hosts shot just 11-for-39 on 3-point attempts (28.2%), they more than compensated for it by converting 20 of 37 (54%) on 2s.

Akatsuki Japan sank 17 of 18 free throws, and its active defense recorded four blocked shots. Watanabe, Baba and Yudai Nishida (on the game's final play) all joined Hawkinson as players who blocked a Taiwan shot in this contest.

"Like coach said, our execution was great, both offensively and defensively," Watanabe told reporters after the game.

"We played our game," he said, summing up Japan's strong effort, citing diving for loose balls and hustling to get rebounds, among other factors.

All of Japan's players in Friday's qualifier are employed by B.League clubs.

Western Illinois University alum Brandon Gilbeck, a 211-cm center, led Taiwan with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Justin Lu had 14 points and Benson Lin scored 13.

Comments on Japan's Performance

"[I'm] really, really proud of our team," Hovasse said at the outset of Japan's postgame news conference.

The coach added, "We were on a mission, I said it a couple of days ago, we were on a mission for tonight. And I think they executed the game plan, like to a 'T,' from the beginning."

Hovasse praised Baba for his stellar on-ball defense as a tone-setting presence for the club.

"Everybody was playing together on the defensive end," Hovasse commented. "It was very nice."

Citing a lack of preparation time and no national team games held before the qualifiers, the Akatsuki Japan bench boss pointed out, "To play at that level was really good to see."

Gilbeck said Japan played an impressive game.

"Their physicality on their defense really surprised us," Gilbeck said of Japan. He added that Taiwan will make adjustments for the teams' upcoming rematch "and we will be better next time."

Up Next in the Basketball Qualifiers

Taiwan plays host to Japan in New Taipei City on Monday, December 1.

"We know we have to get better when we go to Taiwan," Hovasse said. "It's going to be an away environment and they're a tough team, so we've got to step it up even more."

Group B for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers also includes South Korea and China.

There's a quartet of four-team groups for the first round of qualifying. The first round will wrap up in July 2026 after the final batch of home-and-away matches for all teams in their respective groups are staged. Then, the second round will be reduced to 12 teams.

The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Qatar.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.