BERLIN (AP) — Réka Lelik led Hungary with 23 points and eight rebounds in an 84-63 win over Japan at the women’s FIBA World Cup on Tuesday to set up a quarterfinal against the United States.
Virág Takács-Kiss also had eight rebounds and added 17 points for Hungary, which will face the four-time defending champion in the late quarterfinal slot Thursday.
The game was overshadowed by a serious injury to Japan shooting guard Saki Hayashi, who went off with what looked a broken right arm after an awkward fall.
Hayashi needed immediate medical attention a foul in the air from Agnes Torok with just over a minute left in the second quarter. A blue tarp was provided to give her privacy and fans responded with applause when she was led off.
Japan connected on only seven 3-pointers Tuesday. The Japanese had set a record with 20 three-pointers in a World Cup game on Friday before France broke it with 22 on Monday.
Ramu Tokashiki's two free throws drew Japan level at 34-34 before Agnes Studer's 3-pointer gave Hungary a 37-34 lead going into halftime. Hungary finished 11 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Hosts in action later
Host Germany faces South Korea later for a quarterfinal spot against Belgium.
The home team, buoyed by loud support at the Berlin Arena, has gradually improved since losing its first group game by 30 points to Spain. Germany rebounded with a 74-58 win over Japan and followed with a comfortable 83-58 win over Mali.
Germany’s Frieda Bühner scored 21 points against Mali after 19 in the previous win and was expected to duel with Korea’s leading player Park Ji-hyun.
All the quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday. Spain and France await the winners of Wednesday’s playoffs between Italy-Australia and China-Puerto Rico, respectively.
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Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
