Japan, playing without Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, was stunned in the first of its two Olympic warm-up games against South Korea 85-84 on Friday.
Japan went 11-for-35 from three-point range, giving the visitors many more rebound opportunities that they exploited to turn a second-quarter deficit into a 20-point lead they held at the end of the third at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.
The Akatsuki Five finally hit their stride in the fourth quarter, taking an 84-82 lead with 37 seconds remaining before Lee Jung Hyun tied it with a field goal. A Japan foul under its basket gave South Korea a chance to win it from the free-throw line, and Ha Yun Gi obliged, making one of two to seal it.
"We were not able to play our kind of game through the third quarter," Japan coach Tom Hovasse said in Japanese. "We woke up in the fourth quarter. But we need to step up because we only have three weeks left (before the Olympics). This kind of game should teach us a lesson."
Lee was the game's leading scorer with 27 points, while Yuki Kawamura led Japan with 23.
Hachimura will not play this weekend in order "to prioritize his conditioning," according to the Japan Basketball Association, while former NBA player Yuta Watanabe is also out as he recovers from a torn left calf muscle.
