Rui Hachimura throws poster dunk against Germany at the Paris Olympics

Japan is the clear underdog in men’s basketball at the Paris Olympics and could use all the help it can get from star player and former Gonzaga basketball player Rui Hachimura.

While Hachimura’s teammates Yuta Watanabe and Josh Hawkinson did most of the work in the first half against Germany on Saturday, the 6-foot-3 forward delivered the highlight of the tournament so far midway through the second quarter.

When Japan was down 33-25, Hachimura brought some energy Pierre Mauroy Stadium as he drove past Johannes Thiemann, made his way down the lane, stood up and executed a one-handed dunk over NBA veteran Isaac Bonga.

Hachimura and Japan remained competitive throughout the first half, although the Germans held a 52-44 lead at halftime thanks to 20 points from Moritz and Franz Wagner. The diminutive Japanese struggled to keep the German frontcourt out of the paint, as they allowed the Germans to shoot 14 of 20 2-pointers and score 24 points in the paint compared to their 14 in the first half.

Hachimura had eight points and four rebounds in just over 18 minutes. Watanabe made three 3-pointers to lead Japan with 13 points at halftime, while Hawkinson, a former Washington State star, also had eight points. Japan shot 6 of 15 from downtown.

Japan, who entered the group stage with the best chance of a medal, will need more of such moves from Hachimura if they are to remain in contention in Group B.