B2 Fukuoka | Aoki's Valiant Effort Falls Short as Shizuoka Claims Victory After Close Battle

The Resona Group B.LEAGUE 2025-26 season match between Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka and Veltex Shizuoka, held on Saturday, April 25, 2026, resulted in a Fukuoka loss, with the final score being “Fukuoka 76-81 Shizuoka.” [Match Results] [Fukuoka] 76-81 [Shizuoka] 1Q 25-17 2Q 11-22 3Q 22-19 4Q 18-23 [Game Review] In the final game of the season, Fukuoka aimed to close out with consecutive wins and faced Veltex Shizuoka. At the start, both teams actively sought outside shots, but their shooting percentage was low, leading to a low-scoring affair. While Shizuoka initially took the lead with #5 Evando's 3-pointer, Fukuoka responded with #34 Aguilar's 3-pointer, keeping the game tight. After five minutes of play, amidst a seesaw battle, #8 Aoki sank a 3-pointer to narrow the gap. He then drove to the basket for a layup, showing his presence. Following a steal, he drained another 3-pointer, his 10th point in this quarter alone, successfully taking the lead and seizing momentum. Riding this wave, Fukuoka extended their lead with consecutive scores from #20 Nakaya, taking control from the early struggle, and finished the first 10 minutes with an 8-point lead. However, the second quarter saw a complete turnaround, with both teams displaying intense defense, unwilling to yield. Fukuoka's #15 Shiraya made his first appearance since February 8, recording a block with defense that matched #21 Lawson's strength. Shizuoka gradually closed the gap with #3 Yamamoto's 3-pointer and #26 Brant's basket under the rim, eventually taking the lead. Fukuoka fought back with Aguilar's 3-pointers, and Aoki, surrounded by three defenders, scored from an offensive rebound, regaining momentum. However, Shizuoka dominated rebounds, and Fukuoka's scoring stalled. In the last minute of the first half, it was a close one-point game, but Fukuoka failed to extend their score further and trailed by 3 points at halftime. The second half also began with both teams scoring, but Fukuoka conceded points from offensive rebounds, allowed steals leading to quick points, and fast breaks, letting Shizuoka take control and quickly build a 7-point lead. Nevertheless, Fukuoka tried to regain momentum spurred by Aguilar's points, with #30 Woodberry and Aoki scoring under the rim, gradually narrowing the gap. However, scoring then stagnated, and in the face of high-intensity defense, fouls accumulated, leading to Shizuoka building points from free throws. Still, Aoki sank his third 3-pointer of the day, and just before the end of the third quarter, Woodberry hit a 3-pointer, finally tying the score and heading into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, Shizuoka scored first with a free throw, but Aoki again sank a 3-pointer to successfully regain the lead. Aguilar also fought hard to earn a basket-and-one, pulling the momentum back. However, Shizuoka responded with Lawson's jumper and other plays, taking the lead once more. After the official timeout, Evando's 3-pointer widened the gap, but #14 Nishikawa's layup kept Fukuoka in the fight. With 3 minutes and 18 seconds left, trailing by 6 points, Fukuoka faced a tough situation conceding a one-handed dunk to Lawson. Nevertheless, Aoki sank his fifth 3-pointer of the day to pull momentum, then immediately hit his sixth to tie the score. The excitement among the 6,972 spectators at Kitakyushu Messe reached its peak. However, in the final moments, Fukuoka conceded a basket-and-one, falling behind again, and with 35 seconds left, #14 Kashiwakura sank a 3-pointer to make it a 5-point difference. Although Aoki immediately hit his seventh 3-pointer of the day to fight back, the counterattack ended there, and they were ultimately pushed away by free throws, resulting in a frustrating defeat. [Comments] Masato Fukushima HC Honestly, we wanted to win, especially as it was the final game. This week, setting the tone was difficult in some respects, but we anticipated many customers would attend the Kitakyushu event, so I believe it was a moment for the players to perform well. Aoki's shots carried the momentum until the end, but we gave away 12 points from turnovers midway through. I think simple mistakes occurred. Without Justin, I was somewhat prepared for being out-rebounded against the height of Angus and Lawson Jr., but that became a heavy burden. This is a point we need to correct. There were also moments when concentration slipped due to fatigue. Pablo also played 35 minutes, and factors like the opponent stealing the ball from inbounds plays contributed to the burden. We need to thoroughly correct these aspects. This season, results and...