Call it a disastrous start.
The South Korea men's national team jumped out to a 15-6 first-quarter lead over Japan en route to a 95-74 victory on Thursday in the teams' opening game at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship in Tianjin, China.
Japan, playing in its first big-time tournament under new head coach Osamu Kuraishi, wilted under the pressure against its Group A foe.
South Korea led 27-12 after one quarter and held a 78-40 advantage late in the third quarter.
Japan put 31 points on the board in the fourth quarter to make the final score appear more respectable in the Group A game.
For Japan, veteran forward Daiji Yamada came off the bench and had a team-best 21 points in 25 minutes. Frontcourt mate Tomoo Amino contributed 15 points, while Joji Takeuchi had a 14-point performance.
With veteran sharpshooter Takehiko Orimo sidelined due to an illness, Japan shot 24-for-62 from the field (38.7 percent), including Kei Igarashi's 1-for-6 and Shinsuke Kashiwagi's 0-for-6.
South Korea made 56.1 percent of its shots (37-for-66).
Forward Yang Hee Jong scored a game-high 23 points for South Korea, while teammates Oh Sekeun and Ha Seung Jin had 14 and 12, respectively.
Japan was held to six assists compared to South Korea's 15.
South Korea, which led the game from start to finish, outscored Japan 24-7 in the paint.
In addition, South Korea's defense had a strong effort, finishing with 15 blocked shots and 15 steals.
Elsewhere in Group A, the Philippines trounced Sri Lanka 115-31. Japan will play the Philippines on Friday.
The 16-nation tournament runs through Aug. 16.