Japan went a long way to ensuring it would get a Rio 2016 women's basketball quarterfinal place by beating Brazil to notch its second straight win on Monday.
Paced by Ramu Tokashiki and her 23-point, nine-rebound, three-block effort, Japan broke the back of the hosts either side of halftime, outscoring Brazil by 22 points in the second and third quarters combined in an 82-66 triumph.
Tokashiki, who plays for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, had a stellar performance, scoring her points on 11-for-17 shooting from the floor, working the post and elbows with aplomb in her 37 minutes.
"We made up for the height difference with our running and beat them (up and down)," said Tokashiki.
"Our advantage over Brazil is speed. I personally think we could've done better, but I'd like to give us a passing grade."
Japan took a 47-33 lead into halftime
Mika Kurihara, Japan's leading scorer in the tourney opener against Belarus, had 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Iziane Castro paced Brazil with 20 points, while Damiris Dantas poured in 20.
