“Heo Hoon and Jeon Sung-hyun were the hardest to stop”

Japan lost 69-76 to South Korea in the KB Kookmin Bank 2023 Men’s Basketball National Team Trial at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on 22 July.안전놀이터

Japan took an early lead in the first quarter thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Yuki Togashi. With Yuki at the helm, Japan was able to take control of the game. However, they were unable to control Korea’s quick basketball and allowed back-to-back three-pointers from Jeon Sung-hyun in the final minute of the quarter, and the gap quickly narrowed.

Japan tried their best to catch up until the end. They closed the gap from double digits to three points. However, they were unable to make any further progress and the gap widened again.

Japan started the fourth quarter with a 56-65 lead. It was enough to turn the game around. However, Japan only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, especially in the first nine minutes of the quarter. Yuki had six points in the first quarter, but failed to score after that. She missed every shot she attempted. Yuki had three rebounds and two assists, but was unable to score.

Speaking after the game, Yuki said, “It was tough playing away from home. Physically, Korea was stronger. But it’s a learning process and our goal is the World Cup. We will accept the process and work harder to prepare for tomorrow’s match,” Yuki concluded.

Japan never gave up, even in the penalty shootout. When asked why, he said, “In any game, you have to give your best until the end. So we did our best until the end.”

Afterwards, Yuki said, “Our goal is to be number one in Asia. Through that, I want to win a ticket to the Paris Olympics at the same time,” she said.

“Heo Hoon and Jeon Sung-hyun are the most difficult players to stop,” Yuki said. I think we’ll have to use different tactics to stop them tomorrow.”