Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
After a standout season in the B.League, Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura further enhanced his reputation on the international stage during the FIBA World Cup. Standing at just 5-foot-8, he was the tournament’s second shortest player. However, his height didn’t stop him from being one of the brightest stars at the event.
Check some of his pictures at the World Cup below.
Australia advances to the second round behind Josh Giddey’s masterful performance in a 109-89 win over Japan.
Pulling up from deep, Josh Giddey hit the dagger 3 to nip Japan’s comeback attempt in the bud.
It highlighted a monster fourth quarter by the 20-year-old as he stopped Australia’s bleeding in a 109-89 win over Japan. The Boomers finish group play with a 2-1 record.
Giddey continues to build on his elimination game mythos with his best FIBA performance yet. In 31 minutes, he finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 11 assists and five rebounds. This included 10 fourth-quarter points to finalize Australia’s advancement to the second round.
After dominating the first half with a 57-35 lead, Australia started to show leakage in the second half as Japan mounted a comeback attempt from its 27-point deficit.
After failing to reach the 20-point mark in the opening two quarters, Japan was an offensive machine in the third quarter with 35 points to cut Australia’s lead to 17 points entering the final frame.
Alas, Australia — specifically Giddey — did just enough in the fourth quarter to avoid any unnecessary stress of an upset loss.
Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jack White only played the last minute of the game in garbage time as he had two points on 1-of-1 shooting and one rebound.
Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Australia’s 20-point win over Japan.
The Spain playmaker was sensational all tournament long
After its World Cup-winning performance, Spain took home some individual hardware as well.
Spain beat England 1-0 in Sunday’s final, after which star midfielder Aitana Bonmatí was awarded the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s top player.
Bonmatí scored three goals in the World Cup, including a brace in the last 16 against Switzerland, but the Barcelona midfielder did much more than just find the net at the tournament.
The 25-year-old was the creative engine for Spain, controlling the tempo of matches as the chief architect of La Roja’s possession-based style. Bonmatí has become the odds-on favorite to succeed Alexia Putellas, her teammate for club and country, as this year’s Ballon d’Or winner.
Bonmatí wasn’t the only Spain player to win an individual prize, with Salma Paralluelo winning the Best Young Player Award. The 19-year-old scored off the bench in the quarterfinal and semifinal in a breakout performance.
England’s Mary Earps won the Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper. Among several tournament highlights, Earps saved a penalty from Spain’s Jeni Hermoso in the final to keep the Lionesses in the match.
Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa won the Golden Boot with five goals in the World Cup, despite her side only reaching the quarterfinal. Miyazawa scored a brace against Zambia and Spain in the group stage, before adding another goal in a last-16 win over Norway.
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One of the World Cup semifinals is now set following two tight quarterfinal matches
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is quickly coming to a close, as we are officially down to the final six teams of the tournament. In the first two games of the quarterfinals, Spain defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time, while Sweden beat Japan by the same scoreline.
Before we take a look at the games, here is your reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule for the event and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.
Now, let’s check out the games.
Several youngsters have shined at their first ever World Cup
The 2023 Women’s World Cup has been very eventful thus far. The United States got eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, Germany failed to reach the knockout stage, and plenty of underdogs managed to find their way through the group stage.
But while the storylines surrounding the teams have been incredibly fun to watch, the actual players have been putting on a show as well. Obviously, the stars have been out in full force, but some of the more unknown players have been performing at a high level, too. Those players deserve the same amount of recognition.
Let’s take a look at some of the top breakout stars of the tournament.
The World Cup has already seen its share of stunners as we get ready for the quarterfinals
The knockout stage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is officially underway, and the tournament is down to eight teams. It’s been a wild ride to get here thus far, with the two top teams (according to the world rankings) having already been eliminated – Germany in the group stage and the United States in the first round of knockouts.
Needless to say, this World Cup has enjoyed its fair share of shocking results, which always makes for great television. It’s always more fun to root for the underdog (unless you’re a fan of the team that’s expected to win).
So, as there are no games to recap today, let’s take a look at five of the most shocking results of the tournament thus far.
The two favorites scored convincing wins on the first day of knockout stage action
After a one-day break, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup got back underway as the knockout stage of the tournament was kickstarted by two games: Spain took on Switzerland, and Japan squared off against Norway. In the end, neither game was a nail-biter, as both of the higher-ranked squads won fairly decisively.
But before we get into the action, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of this year’s World Cup right here on Pro Soccer Wire! You can keep up with the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.
Now, let’s get into the games.
Evaluating the hopes of the 16 teams left at this World Cup
A World Cup group stage full of surprises has resulted in a truly intriguing set of 16 teams going through to the knockout rounds.
Some favorites have looked the part, but the list of big teams that have underachieved is significantly longer (it’s not just the U.S. women’s national team, folks). A couple of second-tier teams have stepped their game up, while some unheralded sides have shown that while no one was watching, they were making major strides.
The result is a round of 16 where it feels like nearly anything could happen. Could the USWNT join the likes of Germany, Brazil, and Canada in being out? What about the possibility of teams like Jamaica, Morocco, and South Africa getting to the quarterfinals?
It’s been completely unpredictable, so all of these things are distinctly possible. Still, Pro Soccer Wire tried to sort out the likelihood of any one team making a run to the final. Somewhere between their results in this tournament, past track record, and overall talent level, we’ve settled on a power rankings list that everyone everywhere will surely have no problems with.
The Matildas got the performance they needed to reach the knockout stage at Canada’s expense
Day 12 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup came with plenty of drama as the knockout stages are starting to fill up. There were four games on Day 12: Costa Rica played Zambia, Japan took on Spain, the Republic of Ireland battled it out against Nigeria, and Canada faced off against Australia.
But before we dive into the action, here’s your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here on Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.
Now, let’s get into the games.
We already know who is advancing out of Group C, with only first place left to play for
There were three games of 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup action on Day 7 of the event, and we are officially one week into the tournament. Japan took on Costa Rica, Spain faced off against Zambia, and in the final game of Day 7, Canada went up against the Republic of Ireland.
As you look to keep up with all the action of the tournament, remember that you can get all of the information you need right here at Pro Soccer Wire! We have the TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and an updated inventory of the race for the Golden Boot.
Now, let’s get into the action of Day 7.
