A clutch Takatoshi Furukawa corner jumper with just four seconds remaining capped off a big comeback and lifted Japan to a 67-65 win over Iraq in their second-round opener at the FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran on Monday.
Furukawa's game winner, which was assisted by Makoto Hiejima, pushed Japan over the top but it was his 18-point, five-rebound game-long effort that got Japan back into the contest after the team had fallen to an early double-digit deficit.
Furukawa was well supported by Japan's most consistent performer at the tournament so far, forward Ira Brown. He was again stellar on the boards, pulling down 18 against the Iraqis while adding 12 points, six coming from the free-throw line. Brown now leads the tournament with 14.3 rebounds per game, more than two above anyone else.
Iraq's own former American player, Kevin Galloway, a former Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix and Osaka Evessa player in the bj-league, scored 15 and corralled 11 rebounds to pace his squad.
Backcourt pairing Hiejima and Naoto Tsuji shot poorly for their 13 and 11 respective points, combining to go 7-for-24 from the field, but they did spark the fourth-quarter run that put Japan ahead, dropping nine points from behind the arc in the final period.
After a poor start to the tournament, Japan has now put together two solid performances, against Thailand on Sunday and now Iraq. The win gives the team five Group F points and makes it almost certain that it would advance to the quarterfinals with two matches remaining — against Iran on Tuesday and Qatar on Wednesday.