Asian 3×3 champion Mongolia knelt down to Japan’s archery basketball.
In the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2023 Men’s Group D preliminary round held in Vienna, Austria on the 2nd, Japan, which showed off its all-time archery basketball by shooting eight 2-pointers, defeated Mongolia, the 2023 3×3 Asian Cup champion, 21-8 and confirmed passing the preliminary round.
Japan and Mongolia, which are in Group D along with the Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary, are strong teams representing Asia, but they were not able to use their strength in this 3×3 World Cup. Japan and Mongolia won side by side against Hungary, but lost to the Netherlands and Switzerland, leaving regret.스포츠토토
The two teams, who were recording 1 win and 2 losses side by side, faced each other in the last game of the preliminary round. The winner of the match between the two teams was in a situation where the ticket to the final tournament was given to the third place in the group.
Mongolia defeated Australia at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2023 held in March this year and won the 3×3 Asian Cup in 5 years. Japan has mobilized ace players such as Tomoya Ochiai, Thomas Early Kennedy, and Ryuto Yasuoka, who have experience in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finals. It was a match between two teams that are not easily predictable.
However, when the lid was opened, the confrontation between the two teams went the exact opposite of what was expected. Japan’s ‘archery basketball’ exploded nonsense.
Japan’s Thomas Early Kennedy became a ‘crazy player’. Thomas Early Kennedy, who scored 21 points in the previous three games and played the role of Japan’s leading scorer.
Thomas Early Kennedy, a 36-year-old veteran, led Japan’s archery basketball from the beginning. It was Japan’s Thomas Early Kennedy who hit a terrifying 2-point shot from the beginning of the game.
Japan started the game by giving Mongolia a 2-point shot. However, Thomas Early Kennedy responded with three consecutive 2-pointers within 45 seconds of the game, and Thomas Early Kennedy hit his fourth 2-pointer, taking an 8-3 lead within one minute of the game.
Ryuto Yasuoka joined the 2-pointer parade, and Ryuto Yasuoka added 2 more 2-pointers, leading Japan to 13-5 within 3 minutes of the game.
Japan, who made 12 of the team’s 13 points with 2-pointers, took a 10-point lead to 15-5 with Tomoya Ochiai scoring a goal under the goal.
Japan’s Thomas Early Kennedy
Unable to come to their senses from the unbelievable 2-point offensive, Mongolia failed Japan’s outer defense to the end. I tried to find a solution under the goal in the middle of the game, but the attack was not the problem. The perimeter defense was blown through.
4 minutes and 30 seconds before the end of the game, Ryuto Yasuoka made his third 2-pointer, and Thomas Early Kennedy intercepted and then finished the 2-pointer, and Japan won the game 21-8.
After a humiliating defeat to 2023 3×3 Asian Cup champion Mongolia, Japan recorded 2 wins and 2 losses in the preliminaries, dramatically finishing 3rd in Group D and successfully advancing to the final tournament.
Mongolia stuck to their game style to the end, but failed to change their defensive tactics quickly even after confirming the opponent’s crazy shooting sense, which resulted in a loss.
Thomas Early Kennedy, who led Japan’s archery basketball by scoring 11 points, including 5 2-pointers against Mongolia, including 4 2-pointers within 1 minute of the game, left a strong impression and made people look forward to the final tournament match against Brazil.
Thomas Early Kennedy, who was born in Detroit, USA and has been active in Japan since 2011, is a naturalized Japanese national player. Thomas Early Kennedy, who has been active in the Japanese B-League since 2011, was participating in the 3×3 World Cup for the first time in his career.