B3 League Round 25 (Regular Season): Shanan Utd beat Tokyo Utd by one after a very close game

The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 25 in the B3 League took place in Kanagawa. This derby game ended with only one-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked United (35-7) to twelfth ranked Shanan Utd (19-25) 79-78 on Saturday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the 105-game winning streak of United. Shanan Utd outrebounded Tokyo Utd 40-22 including a 26-13 advantage in defensive rebounds. Shanan Utd looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American center Michael Hughes (203-1998, college: Duquesne) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 28 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists. Swingman Makoto Kamata (193-2000) contributed with 16 points and 7 assists for the winners. Australian forward Rhys Vague (206-1996) answered with 13 points and 5 rebounds for Tokyo Utd. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Shanan Utd moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Yamaguchi and Tokushima Gam. Tokyo Utd at the other side keeps the second position with seven games lost. Shanan Utd is looking forward to face Tachikawa (#14) at home in the next round. Tokyo Utd will play against Yamaguchi (#11) and is hoping to win this game.
B3 League top team - Excellence (38-4) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed fourteenth ranked Tachikawa (17-27) in Yokohama 76-55. American players dominated the game. Guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) stepped up and scored 23 points and 7 rebounds for the winners and Elyjah Williams chipped in 12 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. At the losing side power forward Andrew Fitzgerald (202-1990, college: Oklahoma, agency: Octagon Europe) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Excellence have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. Yokohama maintains first place with 38-4 record. Tachikawa lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourteenth position with 27 games lost. Yokohama will play against Kagawa (#3) in Takamatsu in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tachikawa will play on the road against Shanan Utd (#10) in Kanagawa and hopes to get back on the winning track.
B3 League top team - Excellence (38-4) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed fourteenth ranked Tachikawa (17-27) in Yokohama 98-60. American players dominated also this game. Tray Boyd III nailed 31 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Michael Phillips came up with 9 points and 12 rebounds for Tachikawa in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the twelfth consecutive win for Excellence. Yokohama maintains first place with 38-4 record. Tachikawa lost their third game in a row. They keep the fourteenth position with 27 games lost. Yokohama will meet at home Kagawa (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tachikawa will play against Shanan Utd (#10) in Kanagawa and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 25 were not that significant. Shinagawa beat Okayama on the road 92-85. Shanan Utd lost to Tokyo Utd on its own court 60-73. Shinagawa managed to outperform Okayama in a road game 86-82. Tokyo recorded a loss to Tokyo Z at home 71-72. Kanazawa defeated Gifu on the opponent's court 85-80. Yamaguchi beat Niigata A. in a home game 70-60. Tokyo Z won against Tokyo on the road 75-63. Gifu managed to outperform Kanazawa on its own court 100-91. Niigata A. recorded a loss to Yamaguchi in a road game 69-52. Saitama was crushed by Kagawa at home 59-88. Kagawa smashed Saitama on the opponent's court 83-56.
The most impressive performance of 25th round was 14 points and 7 rebounds by Brekkott Chapman of Kagawa FA.



Okayama - Shinagawa 85-92

No shocking result in a game when seventh ranked Shinagawa (22-23) beat 16th ranked Try Hoop (10-36) in Okayama 92-85 on Thursday. American forward Jordan Faison (201-1994, college: CPP) nailed a double-double by scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import center Hayden Koval (216-1997, college: Cincinnati, agency: Diamond Sports) accounted for 24 points and 13 rebounds. New Zealand power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists and American guard Kameron Hankerson (196-1998, college: Green Bay, agency: 011 Sports) added 23 points respectively for Okayama in the defeat. Four Okayama players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Despite that victory Shinagawa went down to eighth position due to points difference. Loser Try Hoop keeps the sixteenth place with 36 games lost. Shinagawa will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Okayama will play against Gifu (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Okayama: K.Hankerson 23+2reb+2ast, S.Timmins 19+15reb+5ast, Y.Mukai 18+3reb, M.Fofana 15+5reb, E.Maxwell 8+1reb+1ast, A.Hamada 2+4reb+3ast
Shinagawa: H.Koval 24+13reb+1ast, J.Faison 22+11reb+5ast, H.Higashi 15, K.Ogata 9+4reb+2ast, T.Ochiai 9+2reb, A.Nohara 6

Yokohama EX - Tachikawa 76-55

B3 League top team - Excellence (38-4) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed fourteenth ranked Tachikawa (17-27) in Yokohama 76-55. Yokohama dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Tachikawa's 24. Yokohama forced 23 Tachikawa turnovers. American players dominated the game. Guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) stepped up and scored 23 points and 7 rebounds for the winners and forward Elyjah Williams (201-1998, college: Northwestern) chipped in 12 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. At the losing side power forward Andrew Fitzgerald (202-1990, college: Oklahoma, agency: Octagon Europe) responded with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds and power forward Michael Phillips (202-1990, college: Howard) scored 5 points and 8 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Excellence have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. Yokohama maintains first place with 38-4 record. Tachikawa lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourteenth position with 27 games lost. Yokohama will play against Kagawa (#3) in Takamatsu in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tachikawa will play on the road against Shanan Utd (#10) in Kanagawa and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Tachikawa: A.Fitzgerald 22+12reb+1ast, T.Morimoto 8, O.Mori 6+4reb+1ast, M.Sato 5+1reb, S.Tanaka 5+3reb+1ast, M.Phillips 5+8reb
Yokohama EX: T.Boyd III 23+7reb+3ast, L.Routt 13+9reb+2ast, E.Williams 12+13reb+4ast, H.Ohashi 7+2reb+1ast, C.Sow 6+6reb, T.Nishiyama 4+1reb+3ast

Shanan Utd - Tokyo Utd 60-73

Very expected game when 12th ranked Shanan Utd (19-25) lost to second ranked United (35-7) in Kanagawa 60-73 on Friday. Australian forward Rhys Vague (206-1996) nailed a double-double by scoring 14 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and point guard Hajime Imabayashi (184-1999) accounted for 23 points and 5 rebounds. American center Michael Hughes (203-1998, college: Duquesne) came up with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds and guard Shinya Takagi (187-1997) added 15 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Shanan Utd in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the 35th consecutive win for United. Tokyo Utd maintains second place with 35-7 record having just three points less than leader Yokohama EX. Loser Shanan Utd dropped to the tenth position with 25 games lost. They share it with Yamaguchi and Tokushima Gam.. Tokyo Utd will meet at home Yamaguchi (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Shanan Utd will play against Tachikawa and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Shanan Utd: S.Takagi 15+6reb, M.Hughes 12+14reb+3ast, R.Hoshino 11+1reb+1ast, S.Shigetomi 7+3reb+4ast, A.Tanno 5+2reb, K.Nakano 3+1reb+1ast
Tokyo Utd: H.Imabayashi 23+5reb+2ast, A.Chol 15+8reb+2ast, R.Vague 14+17reb+5ast, D.Taguchi 6+1ast, M.Ueda 5+1reb+2ast, M.Nagao 3+1ast

Okayama - Shinagawa 82-86

Very predictable result when seventh ranked Shinagawa (22-23) won against 16th ranked Try Hoop (10-36) in Okayama 86-82 on Friday. Shinagawa made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. American forward Jordan Faison (201-1994, college: CPP) nailed 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import center Hayden Koval (216-1997, college: Cincinnati, agency: Diamond Sports) accounted for 26 points and 8 rebounds. Shinagawa's coach Tomoro Sano used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Kameron Hankerson (196-1998, college: Green Bay, agency: 011 Sports) came up with 24 points and 5 rebounds and New Zealand power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) added 12 points and 11 rebounds respectively for Okayama in the defeat. Four Okayama players scored in double figures. Despite that victory Shinagawa went down to eighth position due to points difference. Loser Try Hoop keeps the sixteenth place with 36 games lost. Shinagawa will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Okayama will play against Gifu (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Okayama: K.Hankerson 24+5reb+2ast, Y.Mukai 17+1reb+1ast, S.Timmins 12+11reb+1ast, E.Maxwell 10+3reb, K.Takabatake 6, T.Urano 5+1reb+5ast
Shinagawa: H.Koval 26+8reb+1ast, J.Faison 22+7reb+7ast, I.Ryota 17+4reb+2ast, R.Dixon 5+2reb, H.Higashi 3, A.Nohara 3+1reb+1ast

Tokyo HT - Tokyo Z 71-72

Not a big story in a game when 12th ranked Hachioji Trains (18-26) were edged by seventh ranked Earthfriends (23-21) in Tokyo 72-71 on Saturday. American forward Chris Olivier (202-1992, college: OK State, agency: Diamond Sports) nailed 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import forward Jacob Lampkin (206-1996, college: Alaska-Anch.) accounted for 6 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. American forward Taren Sullivan (198-1995, college: Findlay, OH) came up with 21 points and 7 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and guard Hiroya Ogane (180-1989) added 11 points respectively for Tokyo in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Tokyo Z moved-up to sixth place. Tokyo lost their fourth game in a row. They dropped to the thirteenth position with 26 games lost. Tokyo Z will meet at home Saitama (#9) in the next round. Tokyo will play against Veertien Mie (#17) in Yokkaichi and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tokyo HT: T.Sullivan 21+7reb+3ast, H.Ogane 11+3reb+3ast, D.Hikaru 7+4reb+2ast, Y.Oshiro 7+1reb+1ast, K.Takahashi 6+1reb+1ast, L.Gill 6+6reb+2ast
Tokyo Z: J.Hillsman 15+3reb, C.Olivier 13+9reb+3ast, Z.Moore 11+6reb, D.Shimoyama 7, J.Lampkin 6+7reb+7ast, J.Spencer 6+2reb

Yokohama EX - Tachikawa 98-60

B3 League top team - Excellence (38-4) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed fourteenth ranked Tachikawa (17-27) in Yokohama 98-60. Yokohama outrebounded Tachikawa 47-36 including a 24-12 advantage in offensive rebounds. Yokohama looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American players dominated also this game. Guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) nailed 31 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and forward Elyjah Williams (201-1998, college: Northwestern) accounted for 10 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Power forward Michael Phillips (202-1990, college: Howard) came up with 9 points and 12 rebounds and power forward Andrew Fitzgerald (202-1990, college: Oklahoma, agency: Octagon Europe) added 13 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Tachikawa in the defeat. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The victory was the twelfth consecutive win for Excellence. Yokohama maintains first place with 38-4 record. Tachikawa lost their third game in a row. They keep the fourteenth position with 27 games lost. Yokohama will meet at home Kagawa (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tachikawa will play against Shanan Utd (#10) in Kanagawa and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tachikawa: A.Fitzgerald 13+5reb+1ast, M.Sato 11, M.Phillips 9+12reb, K.Takano 7+1reb+2ast, C.Mbodj 7+10reb+2ast, T.Morimoto 6
Yokohama EX: T.Boyd III 31+7reb+5ast, E.Williams 10+12reb+6ast, T.Masuko 10+4reb+2ast, J.Taniguchi 9+3reb+1ast, C.Sow 8+7reb+3ast, S.Itabashi 8

Shanan Utd - Tokyo Utd 79-78

The most exciting game of round 25 in the B3 League took place in Kanagawa. This derby game ended with only one-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked United (35-7) to twelfth ranked Shanan Utd (19-25) 79-78 on Saturday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the 105-game winning streak of United. Shanan Utd outrebounded Tokyo Utd 40-22 including a 26-13 advantage in defensive rebounds. Shanan Utd looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American center Michael Hughes (203-1998, college: Duquesne) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 28 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists. Swingman Makoto Kamata (193-2000) contributed with 16 points and 7 assists for the winners. Australian forward Rhys Vague (206-1996) answered with 13 points and 5 rebounds and South Sudanese-American center Angelo Chol (206-1993, college: SDSU) added 14 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Tokyo Utd. Four Tokyo Utd players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Shanan Utd moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Yamaguchi and Tokushima Gam. Tokyo Utd at the other side keeps the second position with seven games lost. Shanan Utd is looking forward to face Tachikawa (#14) at home in the next round. Tokyo Utd will play against Yamaguchi (#11) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Tokyo Utd: A.Chol 14+7reb, R.Vague 13+5reb+3ast, H.Imabayashi 12+2reb+2ast, R.Kawashima 12, M.Nagao 6+1reb+6ast, M.Ueda 6+3ast
Shanan Utd: M.Hughes 28+21reb+4ast, M.Kamata 16+1reb+7ast, S.Takagi 10+4reb, S.Shigetomi 7+1reb+5ast, R.Hoshino 6+1reb+2ast, J.Parmer 5+5reb+3ast

Gifu - Kanazawa 80-85

There was a surprise result when fifteenth ranked Kanazawa (16-28) defeated higher ranked Swoops (24-18) in Gifu 85-80 on Sunday. Kanazawa made 18-of-22 free shots (81.8 percent) during the game. Strangely Gifu outrebounded Kanazawa 44-32 including 29 on the defensive glass. American guard Steven Green (196-1993, college: OKBU) nailed a double-double by scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) for the winning side and Ukrainian center Viacheslav Petrov (204-1994, agency: BIG) accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Four Kanazawa players scored in double figures. Point guard Kaisei Takahashi (175-2003) came up with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Kenshin Urabe (189-1995) added 18 points respectively for Gifu in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Kanazawa maintains fifteenth place with 16-28 record. Loser Swoops keeps the fifth position with 18 games lost. Kanazawa will meet at home higher ranked Tokushima Gam. (#12) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Gifu will play against Okayama (#16) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Gifu: K.Takahashi 21+5reb+6ast, K.Urabe 18+2reb+1ast, A.Sambou 8+4reb, D.Fotu 7+2reb+1ast, R.Logan 7+9reb+5ast, M.Tanaka 6+1reb+1ast
Kanazawa: S.Green 24+15reb+2ast, K.Higashino 15+2reb+3ast, V.Petrov 15+8reb+3ast, S.Ogawa 10+2reb+2ast, K.Takahashi 8+2reb+2ast, S.Tanaka 6+2reb

Yamaguchi - Niigata A. 70-60

There was an upset when higher ranked Niigata A. (22-21) lost to thirteenth ranked Pats Five (19-25) in Yamaguchi 60-70 on Saturday. Yamaguchi outrebounded Niigata A. 43-32 including 30 on the defensive glass. American forward Blake Preston (206-2000, college: Northwestern) nailed a double-double by scoring 14 points, 26 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and Kiichi Kawakami (188-1995) accounted for 17 points. American-Jamaican power forward Kyle Hunt (208-1989, college: USAO, agency: BIG) came up with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 14 rebounds and guard Seiya Tanaka (186-1991) added 12 points respectively for Niigata A. in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Pats Five. Yamaguchi moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Shanan Utd and Tokushima Gam. Niigata A. lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the seventh position with 21 games lost. Yamaguchi will meet league's second-placed Tokyo Utd on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Niigata A. will play against Iwate (#4) and hope to secure a win and be promoted back to the just one year after relegation.
Top scorers:
Niigata A.: S.Tanaka 12+2reb+1ast, K.Hunt 10+14reb, A.Nelson 9+3reb+3ast, W.Smith 7+4reb, K.Ohya 6+2reb, Y.Ueta 5
Yamaguchi: K.Kawakami 17+3reb+2ast, B.Preston 14+26reb+5ast, J.Yoshikawa 13+2reb+3ast, A.Collum 7+5reb+1ast, I.Tomida 6+1reb, Y.Shigetomi 6

Tokyo HT - Tokyo Z 63-75

No shocking result in a game when seventh ranked Earthfriends (23-21) beat 12th ranked Hachioji Trains (18-26) in Tokyo 75-63 on Sunday. The former international guard Zack Moore (196-1997, college: UCSB) nailed 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and American forward Chris Olivier (202-1992, college: OK State, agency: Diamond Sports) accounted for 17 points and 6 rebounds. Four Earthfriends players scored in double figures. American forward LG Gill (203-1994, college: Maryland) came up with 12 points and 9 rebounds and Spanish center David Doblas (208-1981) added 8 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Tokyo in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Tokyo Z moved-up to sixth place. Tokyo lost their fourth game in a row. They dropped to the thirteenth position with 26 games lost. Tokyo Z will meet at home Saitama (#9) in the next round. Tokyo will play against Veertien Mie (#17) in Yokkaichi and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tokyo HT: L.Gill 12+9reb+3ast, H.Ogane 10+1reb+4ast, D.Hikaru 9+3reb, D.Doblas 8+9reb, Y.Oshiro 7+1reb, Y.Takahashi 7+2reb+2ast
Tokyo Z: Z.Moore 19+6reb+4ast, C.Olivier 17+6reb, T.Ide 10+5reb+1ast, J.Hillsman 10+6reb+3ast, J.Lampkin 7+6reb+3ast, J.Spencer 6+2reb+2ast

Gifu - Kanazawa 100-91

Very expected game when 15th ranked Kanazawa (16-28) lost to fifth ranked Swoops (24-18) in Gifu 91-100 on Saturday. Gifu shot the lights out from three sinking 12 long-distance shots on high 54.5 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Point guard Kaisei Takahashi (175-2003) nailed 23 points and 5 assists for the winning side and American forward Ryan Logan (200-1994, college: Stonehill) accounted for 15 points and 7 assists. American guard Steven Green (196-1993, college: OKBU) came up with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 11 rebounds and Ukrainian center Viacheslav Petrov (204-1994, agency: BIG) added 23 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Kanazawa in the defeat. Four Kanazawa players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the third consecutive win for Swoops. Gifu maintains fifth place with 24-18 record. Kanazawa lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the fifteenth position with 28 games lost. Gifu will meet Okayama (#16) on the road in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Kanazawa will play against Tokushima Gam. and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Kanazawa: S.Green 30+11reb+2ast, V.Petrov 23+7reb+1ast, K.Takahashi 15+2reb+2ast, A.Ichihashi 14+2reb+2ast, K.Higashino 3+2reb+3ast, S.Ogawa 3+1reb
Gifu: K.Takahashi 23+1reb+5ast, R.Logan 15+3reb+7ast, D.Fotu 13+2reb, K.Urabe 13+4reb+1ast, M.Tanaka 9, Z.Edosomwan 8+11reb+1ast

Yamaguchi - Niigata A. 69-52

There was a surprise result when thirteenth ranked Pats Five (19-25) won against higher ranked Niigata A. (22-21) in Yamaguchi 69-52 on Sunday. American forward Blake Preston (206-2000, college: Northwestern) nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 20 rebounds for the winning side and Kiichi Kawakami (188-1995) accounted for 13 points and 6 rebounds. American forward Worth Smith (198-1993, college: Navy) came up with 11 points and 8 rebounds and the former international center Pape Faye (200-1987) added 11 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Niigata A. in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Pats Five. Yamaguchi moved-up to tenth place, which they share with Shanan Utd and Tokushima Gam. Niigata A. lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the seventh position with 21 games lost. Yamaguchi will meet league's second-placed Tokyo Utd on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Niigata A. will play against Iwate (#4) and hope to secure a win and be promoted back to the just one year after relegation.
Top scorers:
Niigata A.: P.Faye 11+9reb, W.Smith 11+8reb+1ast, A.Nelson 10+6reb+3ast, K.Igarashi 7+1reb+3ast, Y.Ueta 5+1reb, K.Ohya 2+3reb
Yamaguchi: B.Preston 20+20reb+2ast, A.Collum 15+4reb, K.Kawakami 13+6reb, R.Yamaguchi 9+3reb+2ast, J.Yoshikawa 7+4reb+5ast, I.Tomida 5+2reb+1ast

Saitama - Kagawa FA 59-88

Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Broncos (19-23) were outscored by third ranked Five Arrows (33-9) in Saitama 88-59 on Sunday. Kagawa dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Broncos's 32. Kagawa outrebounded Saitama 42-31 including 35 on the defensive glass. American power forward Brekkott Chapman (206-1996, college: Weber St.) nailed a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import forward Alex Davis (206-1992, college: Fresno St., agency: Diamond Sports) accounted for 16 points and 9 rebounds. American power forward Ryan Watkins (206-1991, college: Boise St., agency: Slash Sports) came up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 15 rebounds and point guard Shota Imaike (169-2001) added 16 points respectively for Saitama in the defeat. 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. Kagawa maintains third place with 33-9 record having five points less than leader Yokohama EX. Saitama lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the ninth position with 23 games lost. Kagawa will meet league's leader Yokohama on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Saitama will play against Tokyo Z (#6) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Saitama: S.Imaike 16+2reb+1ast, R.Watkins 14+15reb, R.Kawabe 7+1reb, K.Matsui 7+1reb+1ast, F.Sato 4+1ast, H.Akiyama 3
Kagawa FA: B.Chapman 20+10reb+1ast, A.Davis 16+9reb+2ast, M.Dama 13+9reb+2ast, K.Takahashi 8+2reb, T.Kobayashi 8+2ast, K.Lawson 5+4reb

Saitama - Kagawa FA 56-83

Everything went according to plan when third ranked Five Arrows (33-9) outplayed 9th ranked Broncos (19-23) in Saitama 83-56 on Monday. Kagawa had a 29-18 advantage in offensive rebounds. American power forward Brekkott Chapman (206-1996, college: Weber St.) nailed 14 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and Beninese power forward Muusa Dama (207-1996, college: EIU, agency: Blacktop Management) accounted for 11 points and 10 rebounds. American power forward Ryan Watkins (206-1991, college: Boise St., agency: Slash Sports) came up with 8 points and 13 rebounds and point guard Shota Imaike (169-2001) added 13 points respectively for Saitama in the defeat. 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. Kagawa maintains third place with 33-9 record having five points less than leader Yokohama EX. Saitama lost their fourth game in a row. They keep the ninth position with 23 games lost. Kagawa will meet league's leader Yokohama on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Saitama will play against Tokyo Z (#6) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Saitama: S.Imaike 13+3reb+2ast, R.Kawabe 9+1reb, R.Watkins 8+13reb+2ast, F.Sato 8+1reb, H.Akiyama 6+3reb+1ast, M.Morgan 5+6reb+1ast
Kagawa FA: B.Chapman 14+7reb+1ast, R.Kondo 12+1ast, M.Dama 11+10reb, K.Lawson 8+6reb+1ast, A.Davis 8+2reb+3ast, T.Kobayashi 7+1reb