Chasing its lofty goal of capturing a gold medal at next year's Tokyo Olympics, the Japan women's national team gained momentum by winning its fourth straight FIBA Women's Asia Cup title in Bangalore, India, on Sunday.
Two days after accomplishing the feat by edging China 71-68 in the gold-medal contest, the Akatsuki Five made a triumphant return to Tokyo with another trophy in hand.
Japan head coach Tom Hovasse is proud of his squad's accomplishment, overcoming the "underdog" label entering the biennial tournament.