With a small-ball approach, Japan's women's basketball team will try to achieve big things.
The Akatsuki Five wrapped up its first games of the year with a two-game sweep of Belgium in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sunday, with wins of 91-75 and 84-71.
It is certainly too early to predict what outcome the team could produce next year at the Tokyo Olympics. But the Tom Hovasse-led squad has developed its strategy in order to compete on par against the world's elite countries, most notably the United States.