WJBL Round 7 of Regular Season

WJBL is at the halfway of the Regular Season and there are still another 7 rounds left. Here is the last round review presented by LBM Management.

The biggest surprise of round 7 in WJBL was guest Chanson V-M's (6-8) easy road victory over Toyota BSR (#6) 81-54 on Saturday evening. Chanson V-M dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Toyota BSR's 34. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Chanson V-M made 8 blocks. The former international center Izoje Uche (188-2004) fired 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners. International swingman Mai Yoshida (175-1998) chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds. point guard Aoi Ishimaki (165-2000) produced 18 points and 5 rebounds for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Chanson V-M moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Toyota A. Toyota BSR at the other side dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Chanson V-M is looking forward to face league's second-placed Denso I. in Kariya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota BSR will play on the road against Hitachi Cougars (#8) in Hitachinaka and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Another exciting game was played in Aichi between fifth ranked Chanson V-M and 6th ranked Toyota BSR where Chanson V-M (6-8) beat Toyota BSR (5-9) on the road with 15-point difference 67-52. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international Minami Shirasaki (166-1996) who helped to win the game recording 14 points and 7 rebounds. Mai Yoshida contributed with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Center Jessica Wariebimo (188-2005) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 23 rebounds for Toyota BSR. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Chanson V-M moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Toyota A. Toyota BSR at the other side dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Chanson V-M will play against league's second-placed Denso I. in Kariya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota BSR will play on the road against Hitachi Cougars (#8) in Hitachinaka and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Kariya. Second ranked Denso I. faced 3rd placed Eneos S.. Host Denso I. (12-2) smashed guests from Kashiwa (8-5) 77-42. It was a great evening for Maki Takada who led her team to a victory scoring 24 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). At the losing side Kadysha Umezawa responded with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Denso I. keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Fujitsu RW. Eneos S. lost third consecutive game. They keep the third place with five games lost. Denso I. will meet Chanson V-M (#5) in the next round. Eneos S. will have a break next round.

Other games of round 7 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Aishin AW was crushed by Toyota A. in Nagoya 71-47. Fujitsu RW smashed Hitachi Cougars at home 96-67. Aishin AW lost to Toyota A. on the opponent's court 53-61. Denso I. managed to outperform Eneos S. in a home game 86-72. Bottom-ranked Hitachi Cougars recorded a loss to Fujitsu RW on the road 80-69.
The best stats of 7th round was 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists by Yuki Miyazawa of Fujitsu RW.

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.

Toyota A. - Aishin AW 71-47

There was a minor upset in Nagoya where 4th placed Aishin AW (6-9) was crushed by seventh ranked Toyota A. (6-8) 71-47 on Saturday. It was a great evening for the former international point guard Shiori Yasuma (161-1994) who led her team to a victory scoring 15 points and 5 assists. The former international point guard Mai Yamamoto (163-1999) helped adding 16 points. At the losing side the former international power forward Ramu Tokashiki (193-1991) responded with 15 points and the former international Sakura Noguchi (181-2001) scored 10 points and 5 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Toyota A. have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Chanson V-M. Loser Aishin AW dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. Toyota A. will again meet at home Aishin AW (#6) in the next round. Aishin AW will play against the league's leader Fujitsu RW in Kawasaki and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Toyota A.: M.Yamamoto 16+4reb+2ast, S.Yasuma 15+4reb+5ast, A.Hirashita 10+10reb+1ast, Y.Onodera 9+2reb+2ast, M.Miura 7+4reb+1ast, U.Tanaka 5+3reb
Aishin AW: R.Tokashiki 15+4reb+1ast, A.Hirasue 13+1reb, S.Noguchi 10+5reb, S.Okamoto 3+4reb, M.Sakamoto 2+1reb, N.Yamaguchi 2+3reb

Toyota BSR - Chanson V-M 54-81

The biggest surprise of round 7 in WJBL was guest Chanson V-M's (6-8) easy road victory over Toyota BSR (#6) 81-54 on Saturday evening. Chanson V-M dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Toyota BSR's 34. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Chanson V-M made 8 blocks. The former international center Izoje Uche (188-2004) fired 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners. International swingman Mai Yoshida (175-1998) chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds. Four Chanson V-M players scored in double figures. Point guard Aoi Ishimaki (165-2000) produced 18 points and 5 rebounds and point guard Miki Sakamoto (164-1994) added 9 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Chanson V-M moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Toyota A. Toyota BSR at the other side dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Chanson V-M is looking forward to face league's second-placed Denso I. in Kariya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota BSR will play on the road against Hitachi Cougars (#8) in Hitachinaka and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Chanson V-M: I.Uche 25+9reb, M.Yoshida 12+9reb+2ast, T.Hashikouta 10+1reb, K.Haruka 10+3ast, M.Shirasaki 8+5reb+3ast, T.Setu 4+4reb+2ast
Toyota BSR: A.Ishimaki 18+5reb+1ast, M.Sakamoto 9+6reb+1ast, M.Inami 8+1reb+2ast, Y.Kitamura 7+4reb+1ast, J.Wariebimo 3+8reb, M.Sasaka 3

Denso I. - Eneos S. 77-42

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Kariya. Second ranked Denso I. faced 3rd placed Eneos S.. Host Denso I. (12-2) smashed guests from Kashiwa (8-5) 77-42. Denso I. held Eneos S. to an opponent 24.1 percent shooting from the field compared to 39.4 percent accuracy of the winners and made 21-of-23 free shots (91.3 percent) during the game. Denso I. forced 21 Eneos S. turnovers and outrebounded them 49-36 including a 35-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Denso I. looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. It was a great evening for the former international center Maki Takada (185-1989) who led her team to a victory scoring 24 points and 9 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Senegalese center Sokhna Sylla (200-1997) helped adding 10 points and 10 rebounds. At the losing side the former international center Kadysha Umezawa (190-1998) responded with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds and the former international Saori Miyazaki (167-1995) scored 10 points. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Denso I. keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Fujitsu RW. Eneos S. lost third consecutive game. They keep the third place with five games lost. Denso I. will meet Chanson V-M (#5) in the next round. Eneos S. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Denso I.: M.Takada 24+9reb+2ast, C.Umeki 10+1reb+4ast, S.Sylla 10+10reb, E.Mawuli 9+7reb+2ast, M.Takahashi 8+1reb+1ast, A.Himawari 8+7reb+2ast
Eneos S.: K.Umezawa 14+10reb+1ast, S.Miyazaki 10+3reb+2ast, O.Mominoka 6+3reb+1ast, K.Tanaka 5+3ast, M.Nagaoka 3+5reb+3ast, S.Suzuoki 3

Fujitsu RW - Hitachi Cougars 96-67

No shocking result in a game in Kawasaki where first ranked Fujitsu RW (12-2) smashed bottom-ranked Hitachi Cougars (1-13) 96-67 on Saturday. Fujitsu RW made 24-of-30 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. It was a great evening for Nigerian center Mfon Joshua (190-1999) who led her team to a victory scoring 19 points and 9 rebounds. The former international point guard Rui Machida (162-1993) helped adding 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Five Fujitsu RW players scored in double figures. At the losing side Senegalese center Daramee Malem-Doi (187-1997) responded with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and forward Ririka Okuyama (180-2000) scored 14 points and 8 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Fujitsu RW have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 12-2 record, which they share with Denso I. Hitachi Cougars lost fifth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with 13 games lost. Fujitsu RW will meet at home Aishin AW (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Hitachi Cougars will play against Toyota BSR and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Fujitsu RW: M.Joshua 19+9reb, R.Machida 16+5reb+5ast, R.Akagi 13+3reb+1ast, Y.Miyazawa 13+1reb+5ast, A.Uchio 11+1reb+1ast, S.Yamashita 6+2reb
Hitachi Cougars: H.Morioka 15+2reb+1ast, R.Okuyama 14+8reb+2ast, D.Malem-Doi 14+9reb+5ast, Y.Nakano 7+3reb+1ast, N.Seki 6+1reb+2ast, A.Saito 3+1ast

Toyota A. - Aishin AW 61-53

There was a minor upset in Nagoya where 4th placed Aishin AW (6-9) was defeated by seventh ranked Toyota A. (6-8) 61-53 on Sunday. It was a great evening for the former international point guard Mai Yamamoto (163-1999) who led her team to a victory scoring 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Center Ufuoma Tanaka (181-2002) helped adding 9 points and 8 rebounds. At the losing side the former international Sakura Noguchi (181-2001) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds and the former international power forward Ramu Tokashiki (193-1991) scored 11 points and 9 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Toyota A. have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Chanson V-M. Loser Aishin AW dropped to the sixth position with nine games lost. Toyota A. will again meet at home Aishin AW (#6) in the next round. Aishin AW will play against the league's leader Fujitsu RW in Kawasaki and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Toyota A.: M.Yamamoto 14+5reb+7ast, M.Okamoto 12+1ast, U.Tanaka 9+8reb, S.Yasuma 7+4reb+2ast, C.Yokoyama 7+3reb, A.Kaneda 5+2reb
Aishin AW: A.Hirasue 14+1reb+2ast, S.Noguchi 13+10reb, R.Tokashiki 11+9reb+2ast, N.Yamaguchi 7, A.Moriguchi 4+2reb, S.Okamoto 2+2reb+4ast

Toyota BSR - Chanson V-M 52-67

Another exciting game was played in Aichi between fifth ranked Chanson V-M and 6th ranked Toyota BSR where Chanson V-M (6-8) beat Toyota BSR (5-9) on the road with 15-point difference 67-52. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international Minami Shirasaki (166-1996) who helped to win the game recording 14 points and 7 rebounds. International swingman Mai Yoshida (175-1998) contributed with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Center Jessica Wariebimo (188-2005) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 23 rebounds and point guard Misora Inami (167-2003) added 15 points in the effort for Toyota BSR. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Chanson V-M moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Toyota A. Toyota BSR at the other side dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Chanson V-M will play against league's second-placed Denso I. in Kariya in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Toyota BSR will play on the road against Hitachi Cougars (#8) in Hitachinaka and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Chanson V-M: H.Horiuchi 15+4reb+2ast, M.Shirasaki 14+7reb+1ast, M.Yoshida 11+6reb+4ast, Y.Sato 9+9reb+1ast, K.Haruka 6+4reb+7ast, I.Uche 5+5reb+1ast
Toyota BSR: J.Wariebimo 16+23reb, M.Inami 15+2reb+1ast, J.Mineharu 6+2ast, M.Kawamura 4+4reb+1ast, A.Ishimaki 4+2reb, Y.Hirashita 3+2reb+4ast

Denso I. - Eneos S. 86-72

The game between closely ranked teams ended with second ranked Denso I.'s (12-2) home victory over 3rd placed Eneos S. (8-5) 86-72 on Sunday. Denso I. made 22-of-24 free shots (91.7 percent) during the game. Denso I. outrebounded Eneos S. 35-22 including 22 on the defensive glass. It was a great shooting night for Denso I. especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 64.7 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 12 passes made by Eneos S.'s players. It was a great evening for the former international center Maki Takada (185-1989) who led her team to a victory scoring 24 points and 4 assists. The former international Akaho Himawari (185-1998) helped adding 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Four Denso I. players scored in double figures. Denso I.'s coach Vladimir Vuksanovic used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to get some rest. At the losing side the former international Saori Miyazaki (167-1995) responded with 20 points and 6 assists and center Okoe Mominoka (182-1999) scored 18 points. Denso I. keeps a position of league leader, which they share with Fujitsu RW. Eneos S. lost third consecutive game. They keep the third place with five games lost. Denso I. will meet Chanson V-M (#5) in the next round. Eneos S. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Denso I.: M.Takada 24+3reb+4ast, E.Mawuli 20+5reb+2ast, A.Himawari 13+9reb+7ast, C.Umeki 12+2reb+1ast, S.Sylla 8+3reb+2ast, A.Kimura 6+5reb+7ast
Eneos S.: S.Miyazaki 20+2reb+6ast, O.Mominoka 18+4reb+1ast, M.Nagaoka 10+2reb+2ast, K.Umezawa 7+1reb, K.Tanaka 7+1reb, F.Mako 5+4reb+1ast

Fujitsu RW - Hitachi Cougars 80-69

Not a big story in a game in Kawasaki where 8th ranked Hitachi Cougars (1-13) were defeated by first ranked Fujitsu RW (12-2) 80-69 on Sunday. It was a great evening for the former international forward Yuki Miyazawa (183-1993, college: Queens, NY) who led her team to a victory scoring 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). The former international Kiho Miyashita (178-1998) helped adding 19 points and 5 rebounds. Four Fujitsu RW players scored in double figures. At the losing side forward Ririka Okuyama (180-2000) responded with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds and power forward Yuki Nakano (181-1996) scored 9 points. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Fujitsu RW have an impressive series of five victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 12-2 record, which they share with Denso I. Hitachi Cougars lost fifth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with 13 games lost. Fujitsu RW will meet at home Aishin AW (#6) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Hitachi Cougars will play against Toyota BSR and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Fujitsu RW: Y.Miyazawa 22+5reb+5ast, K.Miyashita 19+5reb+1ast, A.Uchio 14+7reb+1ast, R.Machida 10+2reb+11ast, M.Hayashi 6+1reb, S.Yasue 5+1reb+1ast
Hitachi Cougars: R.Okuyama 24+10reb+1ast, Y.Nakano 9+4reb+1ast, M.Kubota 8+6ast, H.Funao 6+1reb, M.Hayashi 5+4reb, N.Kunii 5+1reb+3ast