Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga recorded 17 points off the bench, as Japan rallied from an 18-point third-quarter deficit in a 98-88 win over Finland Sunday morning in the FIBA World Cup.
Tominaga hit 6-of-9 shots he took, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, while collecting three steals and two assists in 18:35 of playing time, posting a +17 in the minutes he played. Tominaga had 11 of his 17 points in the second half, as Japan outscored Finland 35-15 over the final 10 minutes of action to pick up their first-ever win over a European team in the FIBA World Cup.
With the victory, Japan is now 1-1 in Group H and will play Australia for a chance to advance to the next round. That game is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:10 a.m. (central) and will be available on ESPN+. Japan and Australia are at an even 1-1 in Group H following Sunday’s results, while Germany leads the group with a 2-0 record.
Tominaga is putting up 11 points per game on 63 percent shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, in Japan’s two contests.
Trailing 71-53 with 2:36 left in the third quarter, Tominaga, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, sparked the comeback with five straight points as Japan cut the lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter. He played throughout the fourth quarter.
Tominaga became the second member of his family to play in the World Cup, as his father, Hiroyuki, represented Japan at the 1998 FIBA World Championship in Greece. The event was eventually renamed the FIBA World Cup. Tominaga is the fourth Husker to participate in the FIBA World Cup, joining Tai Webster (2014 and 2019), Jorge Brian Diaz (2014 and 2019) and Bill Johnson, who won a gold medal with the United States in 1954.
