By Sean Miyaguchi,
Yuki Kawamura starred with a game-high 29 points but made a costly defensive error as Japan stunned Olympic host and tournament heavyweight France before falling to a 94-90 overtime loss in men's basketball on Tuesday.
The Group B underdog led 84-80 with 16 seconds to play before France guard Matthew Strazel drew a foul from Kawamura on a three-point make, then converted the free-throw to send it to overtime at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
Backed by a raucous home crowd, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist took care of business in the extra period against the fatiguing Japanese to remain unbeaten at the Paris Games.
Japan's hopes of its first win in Olympic men's basketball since 1972 had taken a massive hit when Rui Hachimura was ejected for a second unsportsmanlike foul with Tom Hovasse's team trailing 72-70 at 8:31 in the fourth quarter.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward had been Japan's top scorer until that stage with 24 points, leaving 1.72-meter point guard Kawamura to pick up the slack.
The 23-year-old Yokohama B-Corsairs standout appeared to have gotten them home with his two-for-two trip to the line that created the four-point cushion before he committed the unnecessary foul that opened the door for France.
Needing a victory after its opening Group B loss to World Cup champion Germany, Japan came out strongly against a big and talented French side featuring 2.22-meter San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama, last season's NBA Rookie of the Year.
The 2.05-meter Hachimura had the unenviable task of guarding Wembanyama, the tallest player in the tournament, who started alongside Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a twin towers lineup for head coach Vincent Collet.
While Wembanyama finished with a team-high 18 for France, backed by 17 from Strazel, the young star found the going tough at times against a physical Japanese defense that tried to take away his interior game.
"We were being very physical. We saw in the Brazil game (against France) where they were really pushing and in these Olympics they're (the referees) allowing it," Hovasse said
"So we really worked on trying to get him outside the paint, get him out of his comfort zone a little bit. The guys did a great job, they really did."
Having struggled from beyond the arc against Germany, Japan found its three-point range early against France, hitting four of its eight first-quarter attempts.
The Asian side made 16 of its 37 shots from deep for the game, with Kawamura accounting for six and center Josh Hawkinson four in his 16-point outing.
France's strength on the offensive glass helped it take a 32-25 lead at the end of the opening quarter, but Hovasse's team continued to knock down quality looks to prevent the home side from pulling away.
The host led 49-44 at halftime and 69-64 at the end of three before Kawamura brought Japan storming back in the fourth quarter.
As Japan defended a 78-77 lead with 1:33 left to play, reserve big man Hugh Watanabe blocked Gobert at the rim before Hawkinson put the underdogs up by three with a push shot.
Kawamura then stunned the home crowd into silence when he created what appeared to be a two-possession lead with 0:16 left only to commit the costly foul that let France back into the game.
"That wasn't their first option," Hovasse said. "It was a crazy play. We stopped what they wanted to do and they kicked it out and the ball moved around. Strazel made a great shot."
While emphasizing there were no "moral victories" in basketball, Hawkinson said Japan showed its mettle against a French side expected to contend for medals.
"To be able to fight until the very end against one of the top teams in the world is definitely a step in the right direction for us," Hawkinson said.
"We wanted to win, but at the end of the day, we've got to move on. We've got a game in three days and we want to win that last one versus Brazil."
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Olympics: United States put Japan to sword in women's basketball
