Keisei Tominaga vs. Cape VerdeKeisei Tominaga vs. Cape Verde
FIBA

Keisei Tominaga had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Cape Verde.

Men's Basketball

Tominaga Sparks Japan to Olympic Bid

Keisei Tominaga Highlights vs. Cape Verde

Keisei Tominaga scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half as Japan earned a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics with an 80-71 win over Cape Verde Saturday morning in the FIBA World Cup.

Tominaga went 8-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and added two assists in just 18 minutes of action off the bench, as Japan concluded its tournament run with a 3-2 record and earned the Olympic bid as the highest finishing team from Asia in the World Cup.

Tominaga entered the game with Japan trailing 19-14 in the final minute of the first quarter and led Japan on its comeback. He had 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including a trip of 3-pointers as Japan outscored Cape Verde 33-18 in the second quarter.  After Cape Verde pulled within 33-28 with 5:10 left in the half, Tominaga hit a trio of 3-pointers in a 11-2 run over the next 1:10 to give Japan its largest lead at the time at 44-31.

Cape Verde was within 59-47 midway through the third quarter before Tominaga keyed another run. The Husker guard had two assists and pair of 3-pointers – his fifth and sixth of the night - in a 14-3 run that stretched the lead to 73-53 with 2:00 left in the third quarter. Japan would see its 20-point lead cut to 74-70 with under a minute remaining before holding on for the win.

Tominaga finished his tournament run averaging 11.4 points per game on 45 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range. He also added 1.4 assists, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game as Japan’s three victories were its most ever in a single FIBA World Cup.