[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Utsunomiya Brex thrives on team-first play

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For title-chasing Utsunomiya Brex, a 21-game winning streak from January 21 to April 10 clearly highlighted the talent and strength of the B.League team.

Five Brex players reached double figures in points in the team's 21st straight win on Wednesday, April 10, an 89-77 win over the visiting Gunma Crane Thunders. Senior guard Hironori Watanabe, who sank 5 of 8 3-pointers, was the season's top scorer with 19 points.

The Brex's epic winning streak ended on Saturday, April 13, with a 79-71 away loss to Levanga Hokkaido (16-36) at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center.

Utsunomiya (44-8) won more than a third of its consecutive games during the 60-game season. This remarkable performance began one day after the Brex's 68-66 loss to the reigning champion Ryukyu Golden Kings on Jan. 20 at Okinawa Arena. They avenged that loss with a 74-68 victory.

Almost three full months later, Brex coach Norio Sassa's team nearly equaled the B.League premier league record for consecutive wins (24) set by the Chiba Jets in the 2022-23 season.

After the Brex's loss in the series opener against Levanga in Sapporo, Sassa expressed his disappointment with the final result.

But Sassa told reporters that the winning streak is “something the players have worked hard for so far. Personally, I have a lot to think about from this game and want to fight as a united team.”

On Saturday, Hokkaido outscored Utsunomiya 45-33 in the first and fourth quarters.

The Brex were scheduled to complete the weekend series against the Levanga on Sunday at the same venue.

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Balanced offense carries the Utsunomiya Brex

Looking back at the Brex's 21-game unbeaten streak, one impressive detail highlighted the team's varied offensive attack. Six different players led the team in scoring at least once during the winning streak.

Veteran American guard DJ Newbill was the top scorer nine times, followed by Isaac Fotu (four times), Grant Jerrett three times, Makoto Heijima and Hirohide Araya (twice) and Watanabe (once).

Interestingly, during this streak, no player led the club in scoring more than three games in a row. In fact, only Newbill was the leading scorer in three straight games in the 21-game series. He managed team-high performances of 28, 19 and 23 points against the Nagasaki Velca on February 10 and 11 and the Sunrockers Shibuya on March 2 as the season ended after a break in February for FIBA ​​Asia Cup qualification was resumed.

As the top scorers showed during the Brex's winning streak, the team doesn't rely on one or two players to carry the scoring load.

This in turn makes them more difficult to defend.

Rebounding burden shared by all

With 52 of 60 games in the books, Utsunomiya's overall record – characterized by a commitment to teamwork – is reflected in the statistics. The numbers tell a story. Consider rebounding the Brex, a task that is effectively shared by several players. Jerrett is the team leader with 6.7 rebounds per game, followed by Fotu (6.2), Gavin Edwards (5.3), Newbill (5.0) and Kosuke Takeuchi (4.3).

In addition, the assessment burden is also treated as a lump sum task.

Newbill is the best scorer (16.9 points per game). Hiejima (12.7), Fotu (12.2) and Jerrett (10.5) also have double-digit scoring averages. Yusuke Endo averages 8.1 points, followed by Edwards at 7.8.

The top teams in the B.League

The Brex are one of five B.League teams with 35 or more wins heading into April 13 games, with Alvark Tokyo and San-en NeoPhoenix tied for the second-best record (42-10). Ryukyu is 38-14 and the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, winners of seven straight games, are 35-17.

Read the full story, which includes news on baseball, sumo and more, on SportsLook.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] Sunday, [Odds and Evens] during the week and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.

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