The path to the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympic women's basketball tournament got more difficult for Japan on Thursday when it lost its second consecutive game, going down 75-64 to Germany.
Coming off a heavy defeat to the United States, the ninth-ranked Tokyo Olympic silver medalists were constantly on the back foot against the physically imposing 19th-ranked Germans led by Satou Sabally and her 33 points.
"We failed to seize the momentum when we had the chance, and if you are unable to do that on this stage, you are not going to win," Japan's Saki Hayashi said.
Japan's normally reliable stroke from deep deserted it at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, with the team shooting just 30 percent from behind the line and 37 percent overall.
The Germans shot only marginally better but won thanks to a 48 to 34 rebounding advantage and far more aggressive play, which led to 10 more free throws and 12 more points from the line.
Maki Takada shot nearly perfectly from the field in her stellar game against the Americans, but she thudded back to earth on Thursday while still leading the team in scoring with 15. Saori Miyazaki chipped in 13 and Hayashi 11.
Japan will need to beat Belgium in their final group game on Sunday to have any hope of being one of the top eight-ranked teams to earn spots in the quarterfinals.
"We still have hope, so we need to put this behind us and do our jobs," Hayashi said.
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