report
Defeat home Niigata! Queenbees all achieved victory through basketball
Yamanashi Queen Bees 66-54 Niigata (Game1)
Score/missed broadcast
The Agano City Suwon Gymnasium is dyed orange and echoes with cheering music and cheers from Niigata, their home team. The Queen Bees fan boosters, who had come all the way, cheered and cheered, although the number was small, and the match began.
Today’s Queen Bees missed some easy shots in the first quarter and struggled against Niigata’s defense, but everyone played their part, including those who started on the bench, and won 54-66. At one point in the early stages, the lead was up to 8 points, but substitute Saki Ikeda‘s rhythmic play and Rinami Nakazawa‘s aggressive play kept things flowing, and Aika Watanabe scored a three-pointer just before the end. The first quarter ended with a one-point difference.
In the second quarter, the substitute players brought back the momentum of the game with their aggressive play, and Mina Kaminaga’s free throws temporarily turned things around. Nakazawa, Kaminaga, and Seika Miyoshi then scored one after another to take the lead to 26-20, but with Niigata catching up, the first half ended with a two-point lead at 33-31.
In the third quarter, Niigata launched a fierce attack, and after being tied at 37-37, they allowed a comeback, and more fouls were committed, giving Niigata more free throws. With the tide leaning towards Niigata, the final quarter entered the final quarter with a one-point difference, 46-47.
Early in the fourth quarter, Niigata extended their lead with a three-pointer, but Queenbees persevered with inside defense and rebounding and regained control of the game. In the final stages, Ayana Nakayama made a three-pointer and the game turned around again, Momoko Inoue also made consecutive shots, and the game ended with a final score of 54-66.
What shined in today’s game was their hard defense and tenacity in rebounding. Especially in the final stages, each player played their role, playing inside defense to force Niigata’s attack into an outside shot, gaining an advantage in rebounding, and succeeding in a comeback from transition, which led to the victory. Also, today’s players who came on as substitutes set the flow of the game and the whole team supported the game, which had a big impact.
Niigata has previously won the second match against top teams Tokyo Haneda and Mitsubishi Electric, and has the ability to make adjustments based on analysis from the first match. With these strengths, Niigata will turn their strong feelings toward the second match into energy and face a formidable opponent.
Last week, in the second match against Aranmare Akita, they were slow to react to the momentum of the opponent they lost in the first match, and although they caught up, they lost in the final stages. We can’t afford to continue in the same footsteps. Tomorrow, we will be able to witness the Queen Bees maintain their strong defense and offensive attitude and win their fifth win in total.
Head coach/player talk
Sachiko Ishikawa Head Coach
We had some chances from the beginning today, but we missed some easy shots and couldn’t get into the flow. I got the impression that the players were a little hesitant, especially in the first quarter. However, the members who started on the bench worked hard and were able to bring the deficit back to one point, and I feel that everyone was able to fight.
Rebounding was still an issue, and there were times when we allowed our opponents to score from rebounds, but it was good that we were able to secure rebounds in the second half and lead to a calm offense.
Rebounding is the key against Niigata, and tomorrow we will need to continue to provide coverage with not only our big men but everyone. Furthermore, I want to be conscious of movements that can lead to breaks from there. Everyone will maintain an aggressive attitude of aiming for shots, and we will continue to fight as a team for victory tomorrow.
Captain Momoko Inoue
We had a tough start as we struggled to find a flow in the early stages and finished at 11-3, but thanks to Nakayama’s efforts, we were able to narrow the gap and we were able to take the lead in the first half. In the second half, we made sure to do our best on defense, rebounding, and catching loose balls, and I think the whole team was able to secure rebounds and loose balls, which is why we were able to avoid giving the ball away to our opponents.
Tomorrow, against a team like Niigata that is competitive in their second match, we want to shift gears again, make sure to take every ball we can, and focus on each ball.
We played hard on defense until the end, but we ended up committing a few unnecessary fouls. We hope to continue fighting as a team tomorrow as well.
Honoka Tsuchida
I’m glad we were able to win on Sunday, but I’m not satisfied with the content. Niigata is a strong team on the second day, so tomorrow we want to take the lead from the start and play well so we can open up a 10- or 20-point lead.
In the first half, even though we took shots, we missed easy shots, and on the other hand, our opponent made three-pointers, so we were unable to find our own rhythm. However, in the end, the reason for our victory was that we were able to make a layup, and when the opponent’s 3-pointer missed, we were able to grab the rebound and connect it to our offense.
Today, the entire team continued to play hard defense, and our team defense also worked well. Tomorrow, we will try to show the attitude that “I’m going to attack” and put pressure on our opponents, thereby gaining momentum for the entire team.
Saki Ikeda
Today, we were able to overcome the challenges we felt in the second game against Akita, and we were able to calmly respond to an unpleasant development. Although we were able to take shots, there were times when we weren’t able to score, so we had to be patient and focus on transitioning from defense. It was especially good that we were able to create an unmarked situation on the inside.
There were many scenes where the opponent scored points, and I once again realized the importance of “defending and then scoring points.” We struggled a bit in the third quarter, but I think the reason we were able to win in the end was because each player on the court played a role.
In tomorrow’s second match, we will take on the challenge with another gear based on our experience from last year’s match against Niigata and last week’s match against Akita. I want to outplay my opponent emotionally, control the entire court as a guard, continue to play aggressive defense, and run to win.
Rinami Nakazawa
Today’s match had a difficult start and was reminiscent of the second day of the match against Alanmare Akita, but when he came on as a substitute, he was able to play calmly. The entire team played while talking with each other with the goal of achieving a comeback by the end of the first quarter.
Even in practice, we were conscious of making adjustments to suit the characteristics of the opposing team, so it was good that we were able to respond calmly through timeouts. I feel like the transition is faster than before.
I was able to score because I was able to pass the ball to my strengths. I want to work even harder tomorrow to make shots from outside.
