The Japan women's team was sent to an early pool stage exit Monday at the FIBA 3x3 World Cupe, just weeks after the event was added to the 2020 Olympic program.
The Japan team, featuring Ryoko Yano, Yui Hanada, Megumi Iizuka and Masami Tachikawa, lost to Australia 18-8 in Game 3 and was beaten by Ukraine 15-9 in Game 4 to finish with one win and three losses, not good enough to advance to Wednesday's quarterfinals.
The top two teams from each of the four pools qualify for the quarterfinals, but Japan finished fourth out of five Pool C teams. The semifinals, third-place game and final will also be held Wednesday.
"They didn't let us play our game. We didn't get good results but it was such a good experience competing here. We have to make sure to bounce back and do better next time," Iizuka said.
