The starting lineup featured #3 Suzuru Takayama (senior, commerce), #11 Takumu Mitani (sophomore, commerce), #15 Yamato Sakaguchi (senior, commerce), #21 Sota Fukasawa (junior, commerce), and #55 Remiya Itakura (junior, literature).
After conceding the opening score, Chuo established control behind Sakaguchi’s three-point shooting, as #5 Naoshi Ishiguchi provided an immediate spark off the bench in the first quarter by sinking two three-pointers among four total field goals to build a 10-point advantage. Sakaguchi added three shots from beyond the arc in the second quarter alone, finishing with 13 points in the period as Chuo stretched the margin to 44-26 at halftime.
Despite late pressure against Chuo's bench rotation, the team preserved the lead to close out a 73-67 win. The quarter-by-quarter scoring read 19-9, 25-17, 12-21, and 17-20.
Mitani opened the scoring for Chuo with a perimeter shot after Hakuoh drew first blood from deep, establishing a 20-18 edge after ten minutes.
The second quarter featured a decisive sequence when Sakaguchi drove into the paint and kicked a sharp pass out to an unguarded Takayama in the left corner. Takayama’s resulting three-pointer prompted Hakuoh to call a timeout. Hakuoh clawed back to within 35-31 at the half, but Chuo pulled away again in the third quarter behind inside scoring from Fukasawa and consecutive baskets from Ishiguchi.
In the fourth quarter, #37 Cutter controlled the defensive glass to deny second-chance opportunities, and Mitani pushed the lead to 15 points with a successful perimeter shot. Sakaguchi capped the scoring with a late layup to seal the 72-54 victory. Quarter scores were 20-18, 15-13, 15-10, and 22-13.
Player Perspectives on Execution and Focus
Reflecting on the opening victory, Mitani emphasized the team’s defensive objectives. “We were conscious of starting firmly from the defense that the team emphasizes, keeping the opponent’s score down, and connecting that to our offense in our own flow,” Mitani said. While noting a drop in defensive intensity early in the second half that allowed Nihon to narrow the gap, Mitani pointed to the team’s ability to separate again as evidence of offensive growth.
Takayama assessed the challenge of playing in an opponent’s home venue during the Sunday fixture. “Playing in the opponent’s home game with a different atmosphere than usual, doing what we wanted to do and simply trying our best were the factors in today’s win,” Takayama said. Regarding the sweep of Hakuoh across both tournament rounds, Takayama added that maintaining focus and competing collectively were central to the results.
Worth a look
