B2 Fukuoka | Keeping the momentum going, they achieve their
long-awaited first home win Image
URL: Rising Zephyr Fukuoka Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 15, 2025 B2 Fukuoka | Keeping the momentum going, they achieve their long-awaited first home win The Resona Group B.LEAGUE 2025-26 season match between Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka and Ehime Orange Vikings, held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, ended with a victory for Fukuoka, 87-73 Ehime.
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Furthermore, Aoki, who had been on a roll since the first half, sank three consecutive 3-pointers, putting the team on a winning streak. Reed, despite being fouled, completed a three-point play, and Aguilar followed with a dunk. They maintained their focus on defense and extended their lead to 14 points, heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter started off tough, with Ehime scoring consecutively. However, Aida’s steal led to Kano’s layup, bringing the momentum back into the game. Kato’s three-point shot then put an end to Ehime’s momentum, and Aguilar and Kano added points, maintaining the momentum they had gained through everyone’s hard work and securing their first home win. [Comment] Masato Fukushima HC I feel like they bounced back well from last weekend’s game. We’re starting to see some form as a team, but we still have some issues with how we finish the game. I think it was good that we were able to play at our own pace until the end today. Ehime has made some great reinforcements, has size, and has the advantage of Michael Parker, so we knew it would be a tough match. Even in these circumstances, our players stuck to the defensive and offensive pace we’ve been aiming for this season, and it was great to see them create more time for themselves than the opposing team. However, we often struggled with rebounding due to the size of our opponents, and this is an area we need to continue to improve as a team. The Japanese players particularly stood out today. Aida fulfilled his responsibilities as point guard, and Kato played tough defense despite giving up 22 points to Hines, reducing the opponent’s ball possession time. I think his dedicated play was extremely important. I think we were able to properly implement the adjustments I’ve been talking about since last week for over 30 minutes today. Going forward, I’d like to improve my execution so that I can continue that for 40 minutes. Continuing to play high-intensity defense and offense without having a full roster is physically demanding, but I believe overcoming this will lead to future growth. I think our next away game (against Iwate) will also be a tough one, but we’ll be focused and work on improving our rebounding and getting into a good flow on offense. Aoki Tatsushi My success rate on 3-point shots was low in the previous match, but today I had good touch, so I went for it. My teammates made some good screens and passes, so I was able to shoot comfortably. From the beginning of the season, we talked about how 3-point shots would be a weapon for the team, and although there were times when our percentage didn’t improve, we all shared the understanding that what we were doing was right and believed that if we kept shooting, the shots would go in. ■ Head Coach Fukushima’s goal of balancing “exciting basketball” and “winning basketball” As a professional, winning is my number one goal, but at the same time, the team wouldn’t function without our boosters. I believe the ideal is to play strong basketball that’s also fun to watch. I think today’s game embodied our team’s philosophy of playing exciting basketball with fast-paced play and hard defense. Tosakazu Kato After losing both of our home opening games, we went into the game with the understanding that we needed to carefully consider how we would play in the fourth quarter and how each player would play during the game. In the past, we’ve played intense defense and aimed for running baskets, but in the fourth quarter and the second half, we’ve had times where our feet would slow down. Today, however, I think we were able to stay focused on defense until the end. Good defense creates a good rhythm for our offense, and conversely, good offense creates momentum for our defense. I think today was a game in which we were able to create that positive cycle as a team. [Highlights]
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzfZM5k9CNU [Watch missed broadcasts on Basketball LIVE]
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