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Japan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Utsunomiya Brex clinch record third B. League title in decisive Game 3
Utsunomiya Brex claimed a record third B. League championship title Wednesday, defeating Ryukyu Golden Kings 73-71 in the decisive Game 3 of the best-of-three finals at Yokohama Arena. The victory marked Utsunomiya's first title in three seasons and its third overall, including one won under its former identity as the Tochigi Brex. American guard Scottie James Newbill was named Most Valuable Player for the finals. After struggling in the first half, with its three-point shooting stifled and the offense stalling at 28-40, Utsunomiya rallied after the break. The team chipped away at the deficit with inside scoring and sealed the comeback in the final quarter with less than a minute remaining, with a clutch three-pointer by veteran shooter Makoto Hiejima. From the left wing, the seasoned guard launched a high-arcing three-pointer that swished through the net, giving his team a lead they would not relinquish. 'It was a shot I made with everything I had,' Hiejima said, smiling broadly after the emotional win. Hiejima had been quiet throughout the finals, held to single-digit scoring in the first two games and shut out entirely in the first half of Game 3. But he kept his composure, scoring 17 points in the second half to lead the comeback. Ryukyu's quest for a championship double — having already won the Emperor's Cup — thus ended in disappointment. 'There were moments when we felt the title was within reach,' said head coach Dai Oketani. 'But Utsunomiya showed they're masters of the game.' Ryukyu had early momentum, starting three guards to seize control on defense. But turnovers in the second half began to shift the tide. Center Jack Cooley, a key presence in the paint, fouled out with over five minutes remaining, leaving the team without its anchor on both ends of the floor. Despite missing injured captain Ryuichi Kishimoto, Ryukyu reached the finals for the fourth consecutive season, a testament to their organizational depth. 'Everyone played their role well,' Oketani said. 'I'm proud of the effort they gave.' On the court after Utsunomiya's title-clinching win, acting head coach Antonio Colonell fought back tears. 'There's no team more special than this one,' he said, standing beside a framed photo of Kevin Braswell, the team's late head coach, who passed away in February after a hospital stay that began in January. Braswell's death left the team in emotional turmoil. Stepping in to guide the players through their grief, Colonell — a close friend of Braswell for over a decade — offered quiet strength. 'He must've been hurting the most, but he never showed it,' said player Yusuke Ogawa. 'That made us want to follow him even more.' In a team meeting, captain Takehiko Tabuse urged his teammates to channel their sorrow into purpose. 'Kevin wouldn't want us to keep our heads down. Let's win this,' he said. With renewed unity, Utsunomiya surged to the title. Fulfilling the promise they made to Braswell, Colonell offered a heartfelt message: 'You believed in this team. Thank you.' 'Everyone played with a special sense of purpose,' Hiejima said. 'At the end, I felt like Kevin had my back.' Translated by The Japan Times
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Utsunomiya clinches B-League title in Game 3 thriller
Utsunomiya Brex guard Makoto Hiejima, right, attempts a shot during Game 3 of the B-League basketball finals against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Yokohama Arena on May 27, 2025. (Kyodo) YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Makoto Hiejima poured in 14 fourth-quarter points to lead Utsunomiya Brex to a championship-clinching 73-71 victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Game 3 of the B-League basketball finals on Tuesday. With just three points through the first three quarters, the veteran shooting guard exploded in the final period at Yokohama Arena, hitting 5-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Utsunomiya won the best-of-three series opener 81-68 on Saturday before Ryukyu evened things up with an 87-75 victory the following day. Contesting their fourth-straight finals, the Okinawa-based Golden Kings led 51-44 going into the fourth quarter of Game 3 before Brex came back to take their first lead since the opening period at 67-66 on a three-pointer from finals MVP D.J. Newbill with 1:15 left. Hiejima, who finished with 17 points and three assists, gave coach Zico Coronel's squad the lead for good on a corner three-pointer with 33 seconds on the clock. Ryukyu received a lifeline when Keve Aluma was fouled on a three-point attempt with Utsunomiya up 73-70 and less than a second left. The forward miss his second free-throw, however, forcing him to intentionally miss the third in an unsuccessful attempt to score two points off a rebound. The Utsunomiya players dedicated the team's first title since 2021-2022 to former head coach Kevin Braswell, who died aged 46 during the season in February after suffering complications from emergency heart surgery. The team kept a framed photograph of Braswell on the bench throughout the remainder of the season, including the finals, and the players shouted his initials, "KB," for motivation during their huddles. "We've been to funerals and cried together, and now we get to cry tears of joy," said Coronel, who started the season as Braswell's assistant. "It means the world to us to honor Kevin."
The Mainichi
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Utsunomiya beats Ryukyu 81-68 in B-League finals opener
YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- Guard D.J. Newbill scored 25 points and had six assists to lead Utsunomiya Brex to an 81-68 win over the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the opening game of the B-League basketball finals on Saturday. Utsunomiya, aiming for its first title since 2021-2022, took a 24-20 lead into the opening change and led the rest of the way at Yokohama Arena. Guard Atsuya Ogawa and big man Gavin Edwards chipped in with 15 points each for Brex, which connected on 16 of 39 three-point attempts. The Okinawa-based Golden Kings, missing injured point guard Ryuichi Kishimoto, got 18 points from swingman Vic Law, but the team made just six of its 23 shots from beyond the arc. Playing in their fourth straight finals, the 2022-2023 champion Golden Kings will try to square the best-of-three series on Sunday.
Japan Forward
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
B.League Playoffs Get Underway with a Slew of Games
Reporting on the playoffs, Mai Yamamoto's exit from the WNBA, Jiyai Shin's latest golf title and boxer Kazuto Ioka's rematch against Fernando Martinez. Ryukyu Golden Kings shooting guard Masahiro Waki runs the offense as Shota Tsuyama of the Shimane Susanoo Magic defends in Game 2 of a quarterfinal series on May 10, 2025, at Okinawa Arena. (© Four teams remain in the hunt for the 2024-25 title. Over the weekend of May 9-11, the Japan men's pro basketball circuit staged a quartet of best-of-three quarterfinal series, and the Ryukyu Golden Kings, Chiba Jets, San-en NeoPhoenix, and Utsunomiya Brex punched their tickets to the semifinals. The semifinal pairings are San-en (47-12 in the regular season) vs Ryukyu (46-14) and Utsunomiya (48-12) vs Chiba (42-18). Head coach Trevor Gleeson's Jets have won 11 straight games ― in the regular season and playoffs. Semifinal matches are scheduled for May 17-19. Ryukyu was the first team to advance to the Final Four ― its series against the Shimane Susanoo Magic began a day earlier than the other quarterfinals showdowns ― on Saturday, May 10. The Golden Kings' Vic Law shoots a jumper in Game 2 on May 10. ( The Golden Kings opened the series with a 79-71 triumph on Friday at Okinawa Arena. Vic Law scored a team-high 15 points. A day later, Ryukyu outscored Shimane 20-5 in the third quarter and pulled away for an 88-70 win. Law, a Northwestern University alum, was the high scorer (26 points) once again. Teammates Keve Aluma and Alex Kirk poured in 19 and 18 points, respectively, and Masahiro Waki finished with nine. San-en NeoPhoenix big man Yante Maten shoots a layup against the Gunma Crane Thunders in the fourth quarter on May 11 in Hamamatsu. ( After escaping with a narrow victory (83-80) over the visiting Gunma Crane Thunders on Saturday, May 10, the NeoPhoenix completed the series sweep with a 93-84 triumph the next day. San-en led 50-32 at halftime in Game 2, but the pesky Crane Thunders whittled away at the lead in Hamamatsu. Former NBA shooting guard/small forward David Nwaba led the NeoPhoenix with 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field in the series-clinching win. Four teammates also reached double digits in points, including Ryusei Sasaki and Hirotaka Yoshii with 16 apiece. Utsunomiya Brex guard Yusuke Endo in action against SeaHorses Mikawa forward Jake Layman on May 11 in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. ( Elsewhere, Eastern Conference champion Utsunomiya prevailed 93-81 over the SeaHorses Mikawa in the series opener and recorded an 89-75 victory the next day. In Game 2, Makoto Hiejima led the Brex's balanced offensive attack with 18 points and made three steals. Chiba Jets star Yuki Togashi shoots a 3-pointer as Alvark Tokyo forward Ryan Rossiter defends on May 11 at Ariake Coliseum. ( In Game 1 of the Alvark-Jets series on Saturday at Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo faced a 23-8 deficit at the end of the first quarter. The Alvark's nightmare, including 18-for-70 shooting, led to a 78-53 defeat. Chiba jumped out to a 22-14 advantage by the end of the first quarter in the rematch and gradually pulled away, winning 92-65. Star guard Yuki Togashi scored 16 of his 18 points in the second quarter, igniting the Jets with five 3-pointers on five attempts in an electrifying performance in the 10-minute stanza. Teammate Christopher Smith had a game-high 20 points. The Alvark, who won both regular-season meetings with the Jets by a combined eights points, trailed 50-28 at the half. Game 2 was another atrocious shooting performance for Tokyo (20-for-68 from the field). "I think that all five [Chiba] players on the court yesterday and today were able to do what the team had prepared for the entire 80 minutes," Togashi told reporters on Sunday. "And in these two matches, all of our players really got into a rhythm from defense in order not to bring out the best in our opponent." Playoffs Tip Off with Compelling Matchups in the Quarterfinals Mai Yamamoto (KYODO) The Dallas Wings cut two players, including Japanese guard Mai Yamamoto, on Sunday, May 11. WNBA teams are required to pare their rosters down to 12 players before May 15, one day before the league's 29th season tips off. Yamamoto, 25, appeared in two preseason games for the Wings. The Hiroshima Prefecture native began her pro career with the WJBL's Toyota Antelopes in 2017. Yamamoto was Japan's leading scorer (17.0 points per game) at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jiyai Shin holds mementos for the winner after capturing the the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup in a playoff on May 11 in Tsukubamirai, Ibaraki Prefecture. (KYODO) Jiyai Shin won the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff on Sunday, May 11 at the Ibaraki Golf Club. The South Korean made a birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to secure the victory, her 29th JLPGA Tour title. In her successful career in Japan, Shin has won five majors, including the Salonpas Cup for the first time in 2018. Shin had a four-round total of 7-under 281. She shot a 1-over 73 in Sunday's fourth round in Tsukubamirai, Ibaraki Prefecture. Runner-up Saiki Fujita carded a 3-over 75 in the final round but also cobbled together a 281 to ensure a playoff. Fujita made par on the playoff hole and had to settle for second. Rumi Yoshiba finished third at 6-under 283, followed by Min Young Lee (283) and Mi Jeong Jeon a further shot back. [ODDS and EVENS] Saiki Fujita Makes JLPGA History with Her 7th Hole-in-One Kazuto Ioka (left) and Fernando Martinez trade punches in the 10th round of their WBA super flyweight title match on May 11 at Tokyo's Ota City General Gymnasium. (©SANKEI) Challenger Kazuto Ioka dropped WBA super flyweight champion Fernando Martinez to the canvas with a well-executed left hook in the 10th round of their title rematch on Sunday, May 11. Martinez (18-0, nine knockouts) got back up and stood tall in the eyes of the ringside judges at Ota City General Gymnasium for his overall performance in the 12-round match. Ioka lost on points (114-113, 115-112 and 117-110) on the three scorecards. As a result, Ioka, who turned 36 on March 24, fell short of his goal of becoming the oldest Japanese man to capture a boxing world title. In September 2016, Hozumi Hasegawa set the record (35 years, 9 months), winning the WBC super bantamweight title. "I hope I can continue to do something meaningful with this record at stake in my next match," Ioka said, according to Nikkan Sports . Ioka slipped to 31-4-1 (16 KOs). The Martinez-Ioka bout was originally penciled in for December 31, 2024, but it was rescheduled when Martinez caught the flu. Martinez, an Argentine, also outpointed Ioka in their 12-round showdown on July 7, 2024, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. The Central League's Hanshin Tigers and the Pacific League's Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters are tied for Nippon Professional Baseball's best record (20-14-1) through Sunday, May 11. Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
