Olympic Men’s Basketball Report: Wembanyama + Hachimura Score in Vain as France Beats Japan in Overtime for Second Consecutive Win

On the evening of July 30, in the second round of the Olympic men’s basketball group stage, host nation France faced off against Japan.

The first quarter began with Hachimura pulling up for a jump shot and scoring, followed by a layup from Yuki Togashi. Japan started with a 4-0 lead. Soon after, Wembanyama hit a three-point jump shot, Hachimura made one of two free throws, and Gobert scored with a back-to-the-basket dunk, leveling the score at 5-5. Hachimura then scored again, Fournier made a driving layup, and the teams traded baskets. Wembanyama scored five points through a combination of inside moves and outside shooting, giving France a 12-7 lead over Japan. Immediately after, Yuta Watanabe responded with a three-pointer, Batum made a mid-range shot, and Yuki Togashi nailed a three-pointer, bringing the score to 13-14 in favor of France. Midway through the quarter, Gobert continued his scoring with another dunk, Yuki Togashi hit a three-pointer, tying the game at 16-16. Fournier then made a three-pointer, Yuki Togashi scored with a driving layup, and Fournier made both free throws. Abessale came off the bench and hit two consecutive three-pointers, expanding France’s lead to nine points. Hachimura scored with a driving layup, and Hoganson hit a three-pointer. With one minute left in the quarter, Cordy Nye scored with a layup, Hachimura made a pull-up jump shot, and Cordy Nye hit a three-pointer. The first quarter ended with France leading 32-25.

In the second quarter, Shinsuke Bijyoudo made both free throws. France suddenly went cold, and more than two minutes later, Yuta Watanabe scored with a layup. Lesort made a dunk, Shinsuke Bijyoudo hit a jump shot, and Japan narrowed the gap to 31-34. Lesort then scored with a layup, De Colo made both free throws, Hachimura hit a three-point jump shot, Lesort dunked, Hoganson made a three-point jump shot, and Yuki Togashi hit another three-pointer, tying the game at 40-40. France called a timeout. After the timeout, Hachimura made a turnaround jump shot, putting Japan ahead. Fournier immediately responded with a turnaround jump shot, and Wembanyama scored with a jump shot, restoring France’s lead. Strauss then hit a three-point jump shot, and Japan called a timeout. After the timeout, Yuta Watanabe made both free throws, and Fournier scored with a fadeaway shot. The second quarter ended with France leading 49-44.

In the third quarter, Yuki Yuueagle made a turnaround jump shot, Hoganson hit a three-pointer, and Kuli Bal scored with a layup. Yuki Togashi then hit another three-pointer, and Hoganson continued his scoring with another three-pointer. Japan started the quarter with an 11-2 run, forcing France to call a timeout. After the timeout, Ntilikina made a three-point jump shot, Hachimura scored with a turnaround jump shot, and Batum hit a three-pointer, tying the game at 57-57. Hoganson made two of three free throws, and Strauss scored with a three-point jump shot, putting France back in the lead. Yuki Togashi then made another three-pointer, and Strauss scored with a jump shot. The teams were closely matched. Hachimura made a fadeaway shot for two points, and Abessale hit a three-point jump shot and scored again, putting France ahead 67-64. In the final moments of the quarter, Gobert scored with a dunk. The third quarter ended with France leading 69-64.

In the final quarter, Strauss hit a three-point jump shot, and Hachimura responded with consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap to two points. Hachimura then received his second technical foul and was ejected. Gobert made one of two free throws, Abessale scored with a jump shot, and Yuta Watanabe scored with a putback. De Colo made a jump shot, and Yuki Togashi hit a three-pointer while drawing a foul, making the free throw. He then scored with a driving layup, putting Japan ahead 78-77. With three minutes remaining, both teams struggled to score. For the last four minutes of the half, neither team scored. With one minute left, Hoganson scored with a runner over Wembanyama, and Fournier hit a crucial three-pointer to tie the game. The score was 80-80, and France called a timeout. After the timeout, Yuki Togashi made both free throws. In the final moments, he made two more free throws, leaving France with little time. Strauss made a three-pointer and the ensuing free throw, tying the game at 84-84. Japan called a timeout but could not change the outcome. The game went into overtime.

In overtime, Wembanyama scored easily with a layup and drew a foul from Hoganson, making the free throw. He then hit a three-pointer and another free throw, scoring eight points in overtime. Yuki Togashi and Shinsuke Bijyoudo hit consecutive three-pointers. Japan used a foul strategy, and Strauss made both free throws.

Ultimately, France secured a 94-90 victory over Japan, achieving their second consecutive win.

Player Statistics:

Japan: Yuki Togashi 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal; Hachimura 24 points, 3 rebounds; Hoganson 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist; Shinsuke Bijyoudo 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists; Yuta Watanabe 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Yuta Watanabe 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist; Yuki Togashi 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist; Yuki Yuueagle 2 points, 1 rebound; Masayuki Okabe 1 steal; Jacobs 3 rebounds;

France: Wembanyama 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals; Strauss 17 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists; Fournier 14 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal; Abessale 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Gobert 7 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal; Lesort 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Batum 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Cordy Nye 5 points, 2 rebounds; De Colo 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; Ntilikina 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist; Kuli Bal 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists; Albicy 2 assists, 1 steal;

Starting Lineups:

Japan: Yuki Togashi, Shinsuke Bijyoudo, Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe, Hoganson

France: Batum, Albicy, Fournier, Gobert, Wembanyama