POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
Kenta Hirose
China - Japan 62:72
Japan gained the right speed at East Asia Championship in Nanjing. After the starting loss Japan claimed second straight win. They outgunned China in the semifinals tonight. Japan will now take on South Korea for the title. Kenta Hirose (193-G-85), Shinsuke Kashiwagi (183-G-81) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) finished with 13 points each to pace well-balanced effort for the winners.
China got to a slightly better start. They registered a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. China stretched the margin in the second frame. The hosts accumulated a comfortable 38:24 halftime lead. But Japan turned things around in the second half. They stunned the hosts with a 26:10 run in the third period. China struggled offensively in the second half and Japan capitalized sealing the victory at the end. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) chipped in 10 points in the win. Zhang ZhaoXu (221-C-87, college: California) accounted for 16 points and 9 rebounds for China. Meng Duo (192-G/F-90) provided 9 points in the loss.
China: Zhang ZhaoXu 16, Meng Duo 9
Japan: Kenta Hirose 13, Shinsuke Kashiwagi 13, Kosuke Takeuchi 13
