JAPAN protected its home court with a huge second half to turn back Kazakhstan, 73-48, in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers on Monday at Okinawa Arena.
Yuki Kawamura ignited the Akatsuki Five's breakaway as he finished with seven points, seven assists, five steals, and two rebounds while their defense got 17 steals in total to hold the Steppen Wolves to just 21 points in the last two frames.
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Yudai Nishida paced Japan with 13 points, to go with a pair of boards, assists, and steals off the bench, as Yudai Baba had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Naturalized center Nick Fazekas marked his national team return with eight points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
Already assured of a spot in the 2023 Fiba World Cup as one of the hosts, Japan rose to 3-5 in Group F after the fourth window.
Anton Bykov led Kazakhstan with 18 points and eight rebounds as it fell to a 5-3 card, still very much in contention for the elusive tickets to the global hoops showcase.
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