By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Thanks to one more stellar game by Lauri Markkanen who scored 32 points, Finland completed the FIBA World Cup on a high note beating Venezuela 90-75 in the first game of Group O.
With a total of 23 teams qualifying directly to the Olympics and the pre-Olympic tournaments – plus France having secured a spot as the hosts – Finland’s 2-3 record with a -24 goal average should be enough to give them one of the tickets to pre-Olympic qualifiers, depending the other results.
It wasn’t easy with Finland leading just by five (67-62) entering the last period, however, Finland’s quality proved to be enough for a strong finish.
The “pack of wolves” led even by 18 (88-70) one minute before the final buzzer on a partial 21-8 run.
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Sasu Salin and Elias Valtonen scored 11 points each for Finland, while Pedro Churio scored 17 points for the losing side.
Japan survives late Cape Verde push to secure a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics
A sensational victory over Finland gave Japan wings. They struggled against Venezuela but ultimately prevailed. Finally, in the moment of truth, they secured an 80-71 win over Cape Verde to book a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Akatsuki Five made their country proud by finishing the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the highest-ranked Asian team, winning three out of five games in front of their fans in Okinawa (losing only to Germany and Australia).
Josh Hawkinson led the winning side with 29 points, while Keisei Tominaga followed him with 22, and Yuki Kawamura was on the verge of a double-double with 14 points and eight assists.
As for Cape Verde, who fought back after being down 20 points in the third period, Real Madrid‘s Edy Tavares reached a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Shane Da Rosa also scored 11 points, while Ivan Almeida and Patrick Lima added 10 points each.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL