Rui Machida played an instrumental role in getting Japan into its first Olympic basketball gold medal game, the diminutive point guard pulling the strings in a historic 87-71 women's semifinal win over France on Friday.
Machida scored just nine points at Saitama Super Arena, but created many more with her 18 assists, probing the paint with her tight handle to create opportunities for the women in white and red.
"I am very happy," said Machida when asked about setting a new Olympic women's assist record, bettering the previous high of 16. "I didn't hear (the announcement about the record) but I am not so focused on numbers but I am glad I carved out a place for myself in history."
"I was conscious of playing at a fast tempo with my playmaking."
Himawari Akaho was often the beneficiary of Machida's creativity, the swing player scoring 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Yuki Miyazawa chipped in 14 points and Evelyn Mawuli nine.
"We were doing the things we have been practicing for months and it was like going to work," said Japan coach Tom Hovasse. "The players knew what they needed to do and they did it. They followed the game plan to a tee."
The win means Japan will earn no less than a silver medal at the Tokyo Games, and that medal is the most likely outcome as they are set to play a peerless United States team that beat them by 17 points in the group stage.
The U.S. beat Serbia 79-59 earlier on Friday, continuing their tournament of domination. They have won their five games by an average of 16.2 points, and their two knockout games by an average of 22.
Sandrine Gruda fought a lonely battle for France, her 18 points the only thing that kept the score respectable as the European team folded. They will take on Serbia for the bronze.
Japan fell behind by as many as eight points in the first quarter but put together a stellar second in which they combined swarming, trapping defense with some efficient drive and kick offense to build a 10 point lead. France responded, but could only cut it to 41-34 at the main break.
The final two quarters were all one-way traffic, Japan running up the score with a 27-16 third to put the game out of reach and carve out a place in Japan basketball folklore.
Before these current games, Japan's previous best Olympic finish was a fifth recorded in 1976 in Montreal. In Rio de Janeiro in 2016 the team lost in the quarterfinals.
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