By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Lille, France – Japan was on the verge of making a major upset, but Matthew Strazel saved France in the last moments and brought the game to overtime.
In the added five minutes, it was Victor Wembanyama’s show, and Les Bleus emerged victorious with a final score of 90-94.
Wemby scored six consecutive points at the start of overtime, giving his side a crucial edge, while Japan struggled to score. The NBA sensation from the San Antonio Spurs ended the match with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double while also dishing out six assists for a game-high PIR of 30.
Strazel followed with 17 points, including a four-point play to force overtime, while Evan Fournier scored 14 and Guerschon Yabusele added 13 points for the winning side.
Yuki Kawamura was almost the hero for Japan, finishing the game with 29 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Rui Hachimura added 24 points but finished the game midway through the fourth period with a second technical foul. Josh Hawkinson added 16 points and eight rebounds.
A crazy night in Lille
Japan on paper was easy prey, but that was not the case in the court. Of course, France was up 32-25 after the first quarter and had the lead for most in the first half, but never with more than nine points.
On the contrary, Japan tied the score at 40 with Hachimura scoring 14 points, and France was up by five (49-44) at halftime behind 11 points by Evan Fournier and 10 by Victor Wembanyama.
Japan didn’t bend. On the contrary, they led by four (55-51) to start the second half, and France, thanks to five straight points by Guerschon Yabusele, managed to get just a three-point cushion (67-64) before Rudy Gobert with a transition dunk (69-64) closed the third quarter in style.
Matthew Strazel with a three (72-64) gave another breath to France at the start of the last period, but Japan reacted swiftly, making it again a two-point game (72-70) after a Hachimura three.
Hachimura ejected but Japan held on
That was, however, the last thing the Lakers forward gave to his team. In the next play, he clearly grabbed the arm of Rudy Gobert with no intention to play the ball, got a second technical foul, and was ejected.
Still, Japan managed to enter the last five minutes leading by one (78-77) after a layup by Yuki Kawamura.
For four minutes nobody could score from either side until Hawkinson made a huge shot over Wembanyama, only for Fournier to tie the score at 80 with 47 seconds left.
Kawamura then gave Japan an 84-80 lead with consecutive free throws, but Matthew Strazel banked a crazy triple under Kawamure’s foul and tied the game with 10 seconds to go from the free-throw line.
“It was the biggest shot of his life”, said Wembanyama about his teammate after the game.
The Japanese point guard had a chance to win it but missed the long three in the final seconds, and the game went to overtime where Wemby took over for an early 90-84 lead and the game was ever, even if Japan managed to make it a two-point game (92-90) when it was too late.
Photo credit: FIBA