Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Gonzaga University to an 89-55 win over the University of Texas-Arlington in NCAA men's basketball on Tuesday.
Teammate Brandon Clarke chipped in with 17 points and 13 rebounds as the eighth-ranked Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak.
Despite the resounding victory, Hachimura, a forward for the Japanese national team, said the Bulldogs needed to improve on the defensive end.
[Getty/Kyodo]
"In terms of defending and getting rebounds, there were a lot of mistakes," the 20-year-old third-year player said.
Born in Toyama Prefecture to a Japanese mother and Beninese father, the 2.03-meter Hachimura is considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 NBA Draft.
No Japanese player has ever been drafted by an NBA team and just two Japanese have played in the world's premier basketball league.
Forward Yuta Watanabe debuted with the Memphis Grizzlies this season, 14 years after guard Yuta Tabuse became the league's first Japanese player during a short stint with the Phoenix Suns.
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