JAPAN is officially Paris-bound as the best-placed Asian team in the 2023 Fiba World Cup.
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With victories against Finland, Venezuela, and now an 80-71 rout of Cape Verde, the Akatsuki emerged atop the six-team Asian field to catch the automatic ticket to the Paris Games.
The 2020 hosts will compete in its second straight and second-ever Olympic basketball tournament — this time, earning its spot through World Cup qualification.

American-born Joshua Hawkinson ran the show for Japan with 29 points, seven points, four dimes, and four boards.
Despite only scoring seven points in the entirety of the final frame, a 33-point second quarter eruption proved to be the difference in the Japanese side's historic triumph at the global showpiece.
Japan head coach Tom Hovasse relished a special feat in the world stage wherein his team was able to 'prove and improve' themselves.
"Winning and realizing our goal is fantastic. the fourth quarter was hectic and could've been disastrous. We avoided that thankfully and we're going to Paris," Hovasse said.
"These are the moments where you really get a chance to prove yourself but also improve yourself and that's the mindset that a lot of our guys have. I'm just excited and really grateful and thankful for this opportunity and I'm really looking forward to the Olympics," he added.
The scores:
Japan (80) - Hawkinson 29, Tominaga 22, Kawamura 14, Watanabe 5, Togashi 3, Kawamura 3, Baba 2, Yoshii 2, Hara 0, Nishida DNP, Kawamata DNP, Inoue DNP.
Cape Verde (71) - E. Tavares 11, da Rosa 11, Lima 10, I. Almeida 10, B. Gomes 9, W. Tavares 7, Mendes 6, Correia 5, K. Gomes 2, Mendonca 0, J. Almeida 0, Coronel DNP.
Quarterscores: 17-19; 50-37; 73-55; 80-71.
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