Japan paid the price for a sluggish first quarter against Serbia at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Friday, losing 69-64 after falling short with a late comeback. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Japan was forced to play catchup for most of the Group B game at Sydney SuperDome after trailing 24-9 at the end of the opening quarter. Forward Maki Takada scored a game-high 15 points for world No. 8 Japan, while forward Jovana Nogic contributed 13 points as part of a balanced attack for 10th-ranked Serbia. Himawari Akaho hit a pair of clutch free throws to cut Serbia’s lead to 67-62 with 1:06…