Basketball: Japan loses to host Germany in World Cup group stage

BERLIN (Kyodo) -- Japan suffered a 74-58 loss to host Germany in the Women's Basketball World Cup on Saturday. All four teams in Group A are tied at three points after two games, each with one win and one loss. The Japanese team faced a 28-11 deficit in the first quarter at Berlin's Max-Schmeling-Halle, which proved challenging.

Japan managed to dominate the second quarter 18-6, pulling within five points at halftime, but struggled with shooting accuracy, converting only 3 out of 27 attempts, a stark contrast to their Women's World Cup record of 20 points against Mali.

Germany quickly took control of the game from the start and failed to let Japan break their momentum. "Germany took control from the start of the game and we couldn't break the momentum," said point guard Mai Yamamoto. "We weren't finishing our moves off with shots, including myself." Frieda Buhner led the German side with 19 points, followed by 18 from teammate Nyara Sabally.

Germany closed the third quarter at 58-39, securing their first win. Kokoro Tanaka was the top scorer for Japan with 15 points. The Japanese team attributed their poor performance to rushing one-on-ones in search of fast offense and settling for impossible shots. Center Maki Takada echoed these sentiments.

Japan now faces Spain in their final group-stage game on Monday. The four group winners in the 16-team competition will advance to the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing second and third will participate in a quarterfinal qualifying round.