Japan outscore Mongolia to reach East Asia Championship semifinals

Japan celebrated the first win at the East Asia Championship. They overcame Mongolia to improve at 1-1 record in Group B. It was just enough for Japan to enter the semifinal stage. They will take on China in playoffs. Mongolia suffered the second straight defeat and got eliminated. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) exploded with 29 points to pace Japan. Japan opened the game aggressively. They fired 28 points in the opening frame to take an 11-point advantage. Japan maintained the lead throughout the second stanza. They arrived at the interval up by 14 points 47:33. Japan did not loosen the grip in the second half. Tom Wiseman team piled up a comfortable 18-point buffer before the final period. Mongolia could not recover and had to surrender at the end. Shinsuke Kashiwagi (183-G-81) accounted for 20 points, while Takumi Ishizaki (188-G-84) finished with 18 points in the win. Uuganbayar Oyuntsetseg (183-G-88) replied with 24 points for Mongolia. Battuvshin Bilguun posted 19 points in the losing effort.

Japan: Takuya Kawamura 29, Shinsuke Kashiwagi 20, Takumi Ishizaki 18
Mongolia: Uuganbayar Oyuntsetseg 24, Battuvshin Bilguun 19