Japan took a big step toward the FIBA Asia Championship quarterfinals on Monday, beating Palestine 74-67 to secure its first victory of the second round in Changsha.
With the win over Palestine and a victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday, Japan will likely finish third in its group behind Iran and the Philippines, ahead of Thursday's quarterfinal round.
Against Palestine, Japan again got an excellent performance from Hitachi Sunrockers big man Joji Takeuchi. The team's best performer in China, Takeuchi was just one rebound away from a 20-20 game on Monday, scoring 21 points and hauling in 19 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.