Wanguo Yamana Discusses Overtime Changes: I Realized We Were Waiting for Our Opponents to Step Up, So I Wanted to Take the Lead

July 31 news, in the Olympic group stage, France men’s basketball team narrowly defeated Japan men’s basketball team with a score of 94-90 to secure their second consecutive win. Had Matthew Strazel not hit a three-pointer and scored one point at the very end of the regular time, France would have suffered an upset loss.

If it wasn’t for Wanguo Yamana’s dominant performance in overtime, France would likely have struggled to secure the victory.

In overtime, Wanguo Yamana scored 8 points (totaling 18 points for the game), helping France to lead by a score of 92-84.

After the game, when asked about what happened during overtime, Wanguo Yamana said, “We realized that the situation of the game had changed. They were in a disadvantageous position throughout the game, while we were waiting for them to step up. Therefore, in overtime, I wanted to take the initiative.”

Commenting on Wanguo Yamana’s performance as an opponent, Josh Hokson from Japan’s men’s basketball team said, “He is a highly talented player, a number one draft pick, one of the tallest players in the world, with very skilled techniques. He is only 20 years old. Our game plan was to try to match him physically. Clearly, as he matures and grows, he will be able to make good use of his body.”

Looking back at France’s overall performance in the game, it was indeed as Wanguo Yamana said; they did not perform as well as Japan for most of the game, and in overtime, Japan was missing Rui Hachimura.

However, focusing solely on Wanguo Yamana, the reason for his poor performance for much of the game seems to be due to some injuries. During the second half of the first quarter, Victor Wanguo Yamana grabbed his right calf after a quick run-off, and then several times during the game, he also grabbed his left buttocks. During the game, it seemed like he was struggling at times.