TURKEY made an early statement in Group E with a convincing 86-67 victory over Japan in their opening test of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Shanghai yesterday.

Playing without the injured Scottie Wilbekin, Turkey stormed out to an early double-digit lead and was never seriously threatened.

It was a balanced effort with Ersan Ilyasova leading the charge with 17 points and nine rebounds. Melih Mahmutoglu also scored 17 points for Turkey.

The Japanese did not have the firepower to match their opponents but young star Rui Hachimura showed glimpses of his talent with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

With No. 9 NBA draft pick Hachimura starting to dominate either side of the half, Japan was within striking distance and only down 12 midway through the third quarter. But a pretty Dogus Balbay reverse layup sparked an 11-2 run and the result was effectively in the bag for Turkey.

Player of the Game Ilyasova had a fine all-round game and poured in buckets when his team needed it.

The Milwaukee Bucks player did a bit of everything, including tough defense.

Turkey’s size and strength caused headaches for Japan.

They had a convincing 43-27 edge in rebounds.

It was a crucial first win for Turkey in the expected fight for Group E’s second spot behind world No. 1 Team USA.

Japan, however, faces a must-win game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

“I thought we did a really good job today. We played really good team defense and we didn’t let them find easy baskets, so I think that was the key,” said Turkey small forward Cedi Osman.

“The first quarter was just experience. We really didn’t understand the level at which they were going to come out and play,” Japan center Nick Fazekas said.(FIBA)