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nashtymavsfan13 · 08-19-2006, 02:57 AM

Germany 81, Japan 70

By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer
August 19, 2006

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) -- Japan had the sellout crowd behind it. Germany had Dirk Nowitzki.

The 7-foot center had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Germany to an 81-70 victory Saturday in the opening game of the first round of the FIBA world championships, negating the host's home-country advantage.

Nowitzki, who led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals this season, dominated inside and outside early, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds as Germany took a 50-37 halftime lead. He had 15 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers.

Despite its size disadvantage inside, Germany took its biggest lead of the game at 61-42 with 5:27 left in the third quarter, but Japan refused to fold, using a 10-1 run to get within 62-52 with 2:49 left in the period. Taking advantage of a dry spell from the field by Germany -- it didn't have a field goal over the final 5:27 of the third quarter -- Japan got as close as 64-56 on a driving dunk by Kosuke Takeuchi with 35 seconds left in the period.

The crowd, which constantly banged inflatable plastic sticks throughout the game, let out a roar and coach Zeljko Pavlicevic was waving his arms at the nice move by one of Japan's 6-foot-10 twins.

Germany was finally able to start scoring again at the start of the fourth quarter and a 9-4 run made it 75-58, and Japan was never within 10 points the rest of the way.

Germany, the bronze medalists in the 2002 world championships, shot 63 percent from the field (19-for-30) in the first half and outrebounded Japan 22-9 over the first two quarters.

Ademola Okulaja, who played at North Carolina from 1995-1999, had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Germany, which finished with a 45-24 rebound advantage.

Kei Igarashi led Japan with 13 points, while Takehiko Orimo added 10. Kosuke Takeuchi finished with eight points and his brother Joji had two.

Germany plays New Zealand on Sunday, while Japan faces Angola.

08-19-2006, 02:57 AM	#15
nashtymavsfan13 Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 9,189	Germany 81, Japan 70 By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer August 19, 2006 HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) -- Japan had the sellout crowd behind it. Germany had Dirk Nowitzki. The 7-foot center had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Germany to an 81-70 victory Saturday in the opening game of the first round of the FIBA world championships, negating the host's home-country advantage. Nowitzki, who led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals this season, dominated inside and outside early, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds as Germany took a 50-37 halftime lead. He had 15 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers. Despite its size disadvantage inside, Germany took its biggest lead of the game at 61-42 with 5:27 left in the third quarter, but Japan refused to fold, using a 10-1 run to get within 62-52 with 2:49 left in the period. Taking advantage of a dry spell from the field by Germany -- it didn't have a field goal over the final 5:27 of the third quarter -- Japan got as close as 64-56 on a driving dunk by Kosuke Takeuchi with 35 seconds left in the period. The crowd, which constantly banged inflatable plastic sticks throughout the game, let out a roar and coach Zeljko Pavlicevic was waving his arms at the nice move by one of Japan's 6-foot-10 twins. Germany was finally able to start scoring again at the start of the fourth quarter and a 9-4 run made it 75-58, and Japan was never within 10 points the rest of the way. Germany, the bronze medalists in the 2002 world championships, shot 63 percent from the field (19-for-30) in the first half and outrebounded Japan 22-9 over the first two quarters. Ademola Okulaja, who played at North Carolina from 1995-1999, had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Germany, which finished with a 45-24 rebound advantage. Kei Igarashi led Japan with 13 points, while Takehiko Orimo added 10. Kosuke Takeuchi finished with eight points and his brother Joji had two. Germany plays New Zealand on Sunday, while Japan faces Angola. __________________ "He's as valuable as anyone. The most unusual thing is that they lose last year's MVP and still get better. It's unheard of." "For a team as good as the Mavs, the regular season is just 82 practice games until the real season begins." -G-Man "We wanted this for Dirk because of his heart, his class, his work ethic, his humility, his sense of humor, his respect for the game, and his respect for people."