WJBL Round 23 (Regular Season): Chanson V-M defeat Toyota A. in the closest game of the week

The teams have now bigger motivation at this stage of Regular Season. Every game can be crucial and decide about teams' position at the end of Regular Season. Here is the last round review presented by LBM Management.

The most exciting game of round 23 in the WJBL took place in Shizuoka. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 3rd placed Toyota A. (19-3) to fifth ranked Chanson V-M (17-5) 77-75 on Saturday evening. Chanson V-M dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Toyota A.'s 40. Chanson V-M had a 34-22 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was a great evening for the former international center Izoje Uche (188-2004) who led her team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 22 rebounds. The former international Yurika Sato (176-1998) helped adding 14 points and 6 rebounds. Senegalese center Sokhna Sylla (200-1997) responded with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Chanson V-M maintains fifth place with 17-5 record. Toyota A. at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost. They share it with Denso I.. Chanson V-M are again looking forward to face higher ranked Toyota A. (#4) in Nagoya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota A. will have a break next round.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Kashiwa. First ranked host Eneos S. (21-2) defeated second-ranked Denso I. (19-3) 81-69. It was an exceptional evening for the former international power forward Ramu Tokashiki (193-1991) who led the winners and scored 24 points and 8 rebounds. Saori Miyazaki accounted for 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The former international Akaho Himawari (185-1998) came up with 22 points and 6 rebounds for Denso I. in the defeat. Denso I.'s coach Vladimir Vuksanovic rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Eneos S. have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 21-2 record. Denso I. at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. They share it with Toyota A.. Eneos S. will again play against Denso I. (#3) in Kariya in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Denso I. will have a break next round.
Bottom-ranked Yamanashi QB managed to get a fourth victory on Saturday night. This time they won against seventh-ranked Aishin AW in Anjo 103-97. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Aishin AW. The best player for the winners was Inoue Momoko who had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds. CaiDeng Sakai produced 20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the hosts. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Yamanashi QB (4-18) moved-up to eleventh place. Loser Aishin AW keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. They share it with Hitachi Cougars. Yamanashi QB will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Aishin AW will play again against Yamanashi QB (#11) and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 23: Aranmare was destroyed by Haneda V. on the opponent's court 88-69. Hitachi Cougars outscored Niigata R. in a home game 94-74. Fujitsu RW rolled over Toyota BSR on the road 72-48. Himeji E. was defeated by Mitsubishi K. on its own court 76-93. Aranmare was beaten by Haneda V. in Tokyo 76-75.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 22 points and 5 assists by Shiori Higuchi of Aranmare A..

The Round Review is presented by LBM Management. A full-service agency focused on Women's basketball sphere and working worldwide. A global and ethical quality service.

Haneda V. - Aranmare A. 88-69

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 11th ranked Aranmare's (4-19) road loss to tenth ranked Haneda V. (7-17) 69-88 on Friday. Haneda V. made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was point guard Ayumi Chiba (167-1996) who scored 25 points. Point guard Hotaru Kabashima (162-1999) chipped in 4 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Center Niang Kumba (190-1999) produced 14 points and 9 rebounds and the former international center Mutya Mori (180-1988) added 10 points and 10 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Aranmare players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Haneda V.. They maintain tenth place with 7-17 record. Aranmare lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the twelfth position with 19 games lost. They share it with Niigata R.. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Haneda V.: C.Ayumi 25+3reb+2ast, H.Takahara 11+4reb+1ast, N.Mizuno 11+2reb, Y.Tsumura 10+3reb, H.Makoto 7+8reb+3ast, M.Kuribayashi 6+4reb
Aranmare A.: S.Chihiro 17+2reb+2ast, K.Niang 14+9reb+1ast, H.Shiori 13+2reb+1ast, M.Mori 10+10reb+2ast, S.Kyoka 4+2reb+3ast, O.Suzu 3+1ast

Eneos S. - Denso I. 81-69

The game between Top Four teams took place in Kashiwa. First ranked host Eneos S. (21-2) defeated second-ranked Denso I. (19-3) 81-69. It was an exceptional evening for the former international power forward Ramu Tokashiki (193-1991) who led the winners and scored 24 points and 8 rebounds. The former international Saori Miyazaki (167-1995) accounted for 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists for the winning side. Four Eneos S. players scored in double figures. The former international Akaho Himawari (185-1998) came up with 22 points and 6 rebounds and the former international power forward Evelyn Mawuli (180-1995) added 13 points respectively for Denso I. in the defeat. Denso I.'s coach Vladimir Vuksanovic rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Eneos S. have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 21-2 record. Denso I. at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. They share it with Toyota A.. Eneos S. will again play against Denso I. (#3) in Kariya in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Denso I. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Eneos S.: R.Tokashiki 24+8reb+2ast, S.Miyazaki 20+5reb+7ast, M.Nagaoka 13+11reb+2ast, S.Okamoto 13+2reb+4ast, S.Sayaka 6, S.Nana 3+1reb
Denso I.: A.Himawari 22+6reb+1ast, E.Mawuli 13+3reb+1ast, W.Yuri 8+2ast, M.Takada 7+2reb+3ast, S.Akaho 6+7reb, S.Motokawa 5

Hitachi Cougars - Niigata R. 94-74

Rather predictable result in Hitachinaka where eighth ranked Hitachi Cougars (10-12) smashed 12th ranked Niigata R. (4-19) 94-74 on Saturday. Hitachi Cougars looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. The best player for the winners was forward Ririka Okuyama (180-2000) who scored 18 points and 9 rebounds. Forward Nanami Sato (175-1996) chipped in 19 points. Four Hitachi Cougars players scored in double figures. Forward Hideka Kanazawa (180-2000) produced 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and center Yumi Yano (180-1997) added 8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists respectively for the guests. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hitachi Cougars moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Aishin AW. Loser Niigata R. keeps the twelfth position with 19 games lost. They share it with Aranmare. Hitachi Cougars will again meet at home Niigata R. (#13) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Niigata R. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Hitachi Cougars: N.Sato 19+2reb+2ast, R.Okuyama 18+9reb+1ast, K.Mayu 13+1reb+4ast, M.Daramee 12+3reb+1ast, S.Ikuri 7+3reb+6ast, O.Ayano 6
Niigata R.: H.Akari 14+5reb+2ast, K.Akira 13+2reb+5ast, K.Hideka 13+6reb+4ast, Y.Yumi 8+7reb+6ast, K.Miyu 8+2reb+2ast, M.Nishitarumizu 6+5reb

Aishin AW - Yamanashi QB 97-103

Bottom-ranked Yamanashi QB managed to get a fourth victory on Saturday night. This time they won against seventh-ranked Aishin AW in Anjo 103-97. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Aishin AW. Yamanashi QB made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Aishin AW 46-35 including 31 on the defensive glass. Yamanashi QB looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was point guard Inoue Momoko (170-1997) who had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds. Aika Watanabe (177-1995) chipped in 20 points and 5 rebounds. Point guard CaiDeng Sakai (164-1995) produced 20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and the former international Sakura Noguchi (181-2001) added 17 points and 10 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Yamanashi QB (4-18) moved-up to eleventh place. Loser Aishin AW keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. They share it with Hitachi Cougars. Yamanashi QB will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Aishin AW will play again against Yamanashi QB (#11) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Yamanashi QB: K.Niandi 21+4reb+2ast, A.Watanabe 20+5reb+2ast, M.Inoue 19+11reb+3ast, M.Miyasaka 12+3reb+9ast, A.Kaur 9+5reb+3ast, N.Izuhara 6+6reb
Aishin AW: J.Mineharu 21+6reb+1ast, C.Sakai 20+5reb+8ast, S.Iijima 19+2reb+6ast, S.Noguchi 17+10reb+3ast, U.Ayaka 9+5reb+2ast, M.Akane 5+1reb+1ast

Chanson V-M - Toyota A. 77-75

The most exciting game of round 23 in the WJBL took place in Shizuoka. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 3rd placed Toyota A. (19-3) to fifth ranked Chanson V-M (17-5) 77-75 on Saturday evening. Chanson V-M dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Toyota A.'s 40. Chanson V-M had a 34-22 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was a great evening for the former international center Izoje Uche (188-2004) who led her team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 22 rebounds. The former international Yurika Sato (176-1998) helped adding 14 points and 6 rebounds. Senegalese center Sokhna Sylla (200-1997) responded with 22 points and 8 rebounds and the former international guard Miyu Okamoto (178-2001) scored 16 points. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Chanson V-M maintains fifth place with 17-5 record. Toyota A. at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost. They share it with Denso I.. Chanson V-M are again looking forward to face higher ranked Toyota A. (#4) in Nagoya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota A. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Chanson V-M: U.Izoje 30+22reb, S.Yurika 14+6reb+1ast, C.Yuri 13+3ast, H.Kuke 5+2reb+5ast, H.Takano 4+3reb, S.Minami 4+5reb+4ast
Toyota A.: S.Sylla 22+8reb+1ast, O.Miyu 16+3reb+1ast, M.Kawai 9+5reb+5ast, S.Yasuma 8+5reb+6ast, A.Hirashita 7+1reb+1ast, K.Miyashita 6+4reb+3ast

Toyota BSR - Fujitsu RW 48-72

Not a big story in a game in Aichi where 6th ranked Toyota BSR (13-10) was rolled over by fourth ranked Fujitsu RW (20-3) 72-48 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was the former international forward Yuki Miyazawa (183-1993, college: Queens, NY) who had a double-double by scoring 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. The former international point guard Rui Machida (162-1993) chipped in 6 points and 6 assists. Center Jessica Wariebimo (188-2005) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 18 rebounds and Yuki Kitamura (173-1994) added 9 points respectively for the hosts. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Fujitsu RW. They moved-up to second place. Loser Toyota BSR keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. Fujitsu RW will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Toyota BSR will play again against the league's second-placed Fujitsu RW (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Fujitsu RW: Y.Miyazawa 16+12reb+4ast, S.Hayashi 13, U.Akina 11+3reb, F.Aki 10+2reb, v.Novon Joshuana 8+6reb, R.Machida 6+4reb+6ast
Toyota BSR: W.Jessica 17+18reb+1ast, Y.Kitamura 9+3reb+2ast, M.Kawamura 7+3reb, H.Asuka 5+2reb+1ast, I.Misora 3+1ast, T.Nanako 3+2reb+2ast

Himeji E. - Mitsubishi K. 76-93

Everything went according to plan when ninth ranked Mitsubishi K. (7-16) beat on the road bottom-ranked Himeji E. (3-19) 93-76 on Saturday. Mitsubishi K. made 19-of-25 free shots (76.0 percent) during the game. They shot the lights out from three sinking 13 long-distance shots on high 54.2 percentage. Mitsubishi K. looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. The best player for the winners was the former international Yuka Kosuge (181-1991) who scored 19 points. Center Rui Sanma (185-1999) chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds. Kana Toyama (173-1999) produced 15 points and 6 rebounds and point guard Aoi Ishimaki (165-2000) added 15 points respectively for the hosts. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Mitsubishi K. maintains ninth place with 7-16 record. Himeji E. lost their eighth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom. Mitsubishi K. will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Himeji E. will play again against Mitsubishi K. (#9) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mitsubishi K.: Y.Kosuge 19+3reb+1ast, R.Sanma 15+5reb+2ast, N.Haruno 15+4reb+1ast, T.Nisbet 8+3reb+1ast, H.Kasagi 6+1reb+2ast, S.Chihiro 5+4reb+1ast
Himeji E.: T.Kana 15+6reb+2ast, I.Aoi 15+1reb+2ast, E.Maho 10+3reb, N.Mirai 10, M.Wenwu 7+4reb+1ast, M.Momoka 5+1reb

Haneda V. - Aranmare A. 76-75

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 11th ranked Aranmare's (4-19) road loss to tenth ranked Haneda V. (7-17) 75-76 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was center Miwa Kuribayashi (188-1998) who scored 13 points and 9 rebounds. Point guard Ayumi Chiba (167-1996) chipped in 15 points. Four Haneda V. players scored in double figures. Shiori Higuchi (175-1999) produced 22 points and 5 assists and forward Hitomi Kawase (174-1993) added 10 points and 5 rebounds respectively for the guests. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Haneda V.. They maintain tenth place with 7-17 record. Aranmare lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the twelfth position with 19 games lost. They share it with Niigata R.. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Haneda V.: H.Takahara 15+1reb, C.Ayumi 15+3reb+2ast, M.Kuribayashi 13+9reb+3ast, Y.Tsumura 12+4reb+1ast, N.Motohashi 9+1reb+4ast, S.Nomachi 5+2reb
Aranmare A.: H.Shiori 22+2reb+5ast, A.Hiramatsu 11+2reb, K.Hitomi 10+5reb, A.Kitagawa 9+4reb+2ast, S.Kyoka 8+2reb+1ast, M.Matsunaga 6+3reb+1ast