MANILA, Philippines – At long last, Japan put an end to a decades-long losing streak against China.

The Akatsuki Five beat Team Dragon for the first time in nearly 90 years as they hacked out a stunning 76-73 home win to sweep the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Sunday, February 25.

Yudai Baba delivered 24 points on 4-of-6 clip from long distance to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists to lead Japan to its first win over China since the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, according to FIBA.

Baba, who last played for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League, showed his mettle by scattering one-third of his scoring output in the pivotal fourth quarter as the Akatsuki Five took solo lead in Group C with a 2-0 record.

Naturalized big man Joshua Hawkinson backstopped Baba with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Yuki Kawamura fired 12 points.

Hawkinson came up clutch, turning his own steal to a dunk for a 75-70 lead with 1:10 minutes remaining as Japan fended off a late China rally.

Team Dragon pulled within 73-75 off a Cheng Shuaipeng triple, but Makoto Hiejima sank a free throw for the final tally, forcing China guard Zhu Junlong to take a three-pointer that ultimately missed.

Hu Jinqiu finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds to pace China, which fell to 1-1.

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– Rappler.com