Spain Keeps Dreaming: Dominates Japan, Finishes First, Advances to Quarterfinals, 59-79

The Spanish Women's National Team delivered its best performance and decisively achieved its first objective at this World Cup: convincingly defeated Japan, finished first in the group thanks to Germany's combined victory over Mali, and has already secured a quarterfinal spot—the gateway to the medal rounds. Spain will face the winner of the Australia vs. third-place finisher from Group D (China or Italy) matchup. Iyana (20) and Awa (16) led the scoring.

Objective accomplished. It wasn't easy, but Spain achieved it with authority against a Japan side that never surrendered and forced Miguel Méndez's team to expend tremendous energy at times.

It came as no surprise that Japan's defense was disruptive from the opening tip. A defense with intense ball pressure, active and aggressive, unafraid to foul. But Spain knew how to play through the discomfort and within five minutes had found the rhythm of the game (5-12, minute 5). The Japanese, as always, didn't relent in their efforts and managed to rebalance the scoreboard (12-14, minute 8) through consistent play across all positions. But Spain's defense managed to minimize their two major threats: speed in transition and three-pointers. The first, thanks to excellent offensive rebounding work (12 in the first half) and the second by leaving minimal space beyond the arc. In exchange, Raquel Carrera was already on the bench with two fouls.

The first quarter ended 15-23, and in the best moments of the second, Spain reached a maximum lead of +11 (29-37, minute 19) after a free throw by Mariona. But the final minute and a half proved unfortunate: a three-pointer by Tanaka, an offensive foul by Gustafson, a technical foul on Méndez, and another foul by Megan with just 5 tenths of a second remaining. The result was a 10-2 run for Japan and everything wide open heading into the final 20 minutes (36-39).

But Spain returned to the court with full force and, above all, clear ideas. Seven consecutive points by Awa, including a three-pointer, left Japan behind again (36-46, minute 23) and the rest was accomplished by extraordinary defense that forced turnovers, disrupted Japan's ball movement, and prevented easy three-pointers, all executed with precision. By the end of the third quarter, victory was drawing closer (48-57).

And in the decisive final ten minutes, Spain's defense held Japan to just 5 points in the first seven minutes (53-67). If Awa's strong start had been decisive, so was Iyana's return to the court: she scored 7 points in less than two minutes, recorded a block, and recovered a loose ball leading to two free throws, beginning to put the game out of reach (53-67, minute 37). With everything under control, Spain played the remainder with intelligence and composure while maintaining intensity: fighting for every possession, recovering several loose balls off the floor. And finally, completely dismantled Japan's final resistance attempts. The final 59-79 scoreline, capped by two free throws from Flórez, represented the largest margin of the entire game. Iyana (20) and Awa (16) were Spain's leading scorers.

Spain will play its quarterfinal game on Thursday against the winner of the Australia vs. third-place finisher from Group D (China or Italy) matchup.