NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Men's basketball got underway at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, with Japan, Qatar, Chinese Taipei and South Korea all securing opening-day wins.
Host Japan routed Indonesia 98-53, Qatar beat Iran 59-53, Chinese Taipei edged Jordan 83-80 and South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 82-66.
Japan delivered the day's most emphatic performance, racing to a 29-9 lead after the opening quarter and taking a commanding 55-21 advantage into halftime.
The host drained 18 three-pointers and had 11 players score, while outrebounding Indonesia 50-31 and recording 26 assists to its opponent's 11.
Kazuma Tsuya paced Japan with 23 points, going 7-for-9 from beyond the arc, while Ren Kanechika contributed 15 points.
"My biggest role is simply to make my shots," the 28-year-old Tsuya said ahead of the tournament. He lived up to those words on Thursday, missing only two of his 10 field-goal attempts.
Qatar, meanwhile, pulled off the day's biggest upset against three-time Asian Games champion Iran.
After an even opening quarter, Qatar outscored Iran 21-11 in the second to establish a 31-21 halftime lead. Iran fought back in the final period but could not erase the deficit.
Michael Lewis scored a game-high 21 points for Qatar, with Dejan Janjic adding 11.
Chinese Taipei also held off a late challenge from Jordan, leading 46-36 at halftime before seeing its advantage gradually reduced. It kept its composure in the closing stages to secure a three-point victory.
Chen Ying-Chun led Chinese Taipei with 16 points and five assists, while Lin Ting-Chien added 15 points.
South Korea pulled away from Saudi Arabia after halftime, outscoring its opponent 33-19 in the third quarter. Lee Hyun-jung led all scorers with 23 points, while Lee Woosuk added 18 as South Korea held advantages in both rebounds and assists.
The men's basketball competition continues on Friday, with China facing Kazakhstan and Japan taking on Saudi Arabia.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will officially open on September 19 and run through October 4. ■
