Ed Odeven 
Utsunomiya Brex guard Hironori Watanabe and his teammates celebrate after winning the 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia in Dubai on June 13. (©BCL ASIA/via KYODO)
After losing their first game at the 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia, the Utsunomiya Brex rattled off four straight victories to capture the title on Friday night, June 13.
In the title match in Dubai, the 2024-25 B.League champions defeated Al Riyadi Beirut Club 94-93 at Coca-Cola Arena.
Utsunomiya star DJ Newbill, a former Penn State standout, sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining to account for the final score.
Al Riyadi's Hayk Gyokchyan missed a potential game-winning shot from the right side with 7 seconds remaining.
Star guard Makoto Hiejima paced the Brex with 30 points, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range. He added nine rebounds and five assists.
Newbill, who was named tournament MVP, finished with 21 points, making 5 of 10 attempts from beyond the arc, and dished out five assists. In five games in Dubai, Newbill, who was also named B.League MVP in each of the past two seasons, averaged 24.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
New Zealand-born forward Finn Delany, who signed a short-term contract to play for the Brex at this tourney, poured in 19 points, snared seven rebounds and handed out five assists. Isaac Fotu finished with 12 points and Yusuke Endo had six points, while Seiji Ikaruga contributed a team-best two steals.
The Brex held a 50-46 lead over the reigning BCL Asia champs at halftime.
Quotes from the Utsunomiya Brex
After the match, Utsunomiya head coach Zico Coronel praised his players' competitive spirit.
"This is kind of what we've continued to do: no matter what situation we're in, we just fight," Coronel said, according to FIBA.com. "We stayed together and made big plays."
He described the team's second championship in as many months as "very pleasing."
Hiejima said his team made important adjustments in the final.
"The other team got into a rhythm at the start of the game, but we gradually got into a rhythm from our defense and focused on rebounding," Hiejima told reporters.
"It was a game that either team could have won. But in the end we were able to win by doing the small things, so it was a good game."
How the Utsunomiya Brex Secured the Title
In the tourney's group stage, the Brex dropped their opener, losing 97-86 to the Meralco Bolts of the Philippines on June 8.
A day later, Utsunomiya beat Dubai's Shahab Al Ahli 105-99.
In the quarterfinals on June 11, the Brex topped Iran's Tabat Basketball 94-93.
On Thursday, June 12, Utsunomiya outplayed Mongolia's Broncos, winning 94-93 to clinch a berth in the championship match.
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Evessa Provide Basketballs for Local Osaka Schools
Osaka Evessa forward/center Joji Takeuchi, who has played in the B.League since its inception in 2016, represented the team at a ceremony at Toyonaka City Hall on Friday, June 13.
During the ceremony in Osaka Prefecture, Yoshitsugu Iwamoto, Toyonaka's superintendent of education, gave Takeuchi a letter of appreciation for the Evessa's recent donation of 68 basketballs to 17 junior high schools throughout the city.
The Evessa teamed up with local charity partner Asahi Denso, an outdoor advertising company, to make the donation. It's a part of the club's SDGs initiative (Sustainable Development Goals), The Sankei Shimbun reported.
Baseball
Veteran Lefty Moinelo Continues to Excel for the Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks starter Livan Moinelo improved to 6-0 in the 2025 NPB season on Friday, June 13. The veteran left-hander allowed three hits and went the distance in the Hawks' 4-1 victory over the visiting Yokohama DeNA BayStars in interleague play.
Moinelo struck out 13 batters in his first complete game of the season. He threw 118 pitches.
Looking back on his performance, Moinelo said fatigue was not a factor.
"I didn't [throw] many pitches, so I felt I had a lot of energy left in me," he said, according to Jiji Press, referring to the eighth inning.
The Hawks, who are in fourth place in the Pacific League, improved to 30-27-3 with Friday's triumph.
Moinelo has a Pacific League-best 89 strikeouts in 78⅓ innings. The Cuban-born pitcher has issued only 16 walks. He has a sparkling 1.26 ERA.
"My main goal is for the team to win no matter what the situation is," Moinelo was quoted as saying by Jiji Press. "As long as we win, that's all that matters."
On June 6, Moinelo fanned 18 batters, one shy of the NPB record, in eight innings against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
The 29-year-old made his NPB debut with SoftBank in 2017.
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Manhole Covers to Honor Japan's MLB Players
Major League Baseball and innovative artists have joined together to promote the 12 current Japanese MLB players.
Twelve unique manhole covers, one representing each of the dozen players, will be installed in cities across Japan where they grew up, starting on Monday, June 16.
A trio of Iwate Prefecture natives ― Shohei Ohtani, Yusei Kikuchi and Roki Sasaki ― will have their manhole covers unveiled on Monday in Oshu City, Morioka and Rikuzentakata, respectively.
The list includes Lars Nootbaar, a St Louis Cardinals outfielder who played for Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Although he was born in the United States, Nootbaar's mother is from Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, where his manhole cover will be displayed.
This celebration of the players through public displays of art will also incorporate modern technology to transform the manhole covers into portals of interactive activity.
"The manholes will feature content exclusive to those that experience the excitement on-site, through short AR movies that can be viewed on mobile devices by scanning the manholes," a news release explained.
Check out the full installation schedule for the manhole covers published in this news release on MLB's official website.
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Boxing
Teraji to Headline World Title Tripleheader
Kenshiro Teraji, the WBA and WBC flyweight champion, will meet American challenger Ricardo Sandoval in the main event of the July 30 fight card at Yokohama Buntai.
An announcement was made on Wednesday, June 11.
Teraji (25-1, 16 knockouts) earned a 12th-round TKO victory in his previous match on March 13 against Seigo Yuri Akui at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Sandoval is 26-2 with 18 KOs in his pro career.
Also scheduled to fight in the world title tripleheader, WBA bantamweight champ Daigo Higa vs American Antonio Vargas, and Dominican WBA light flyweight titlist Erick Rosa vs challenger Kyosuke Takami.
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Gymnastics
Sugihara Captures Women's All-Around Title at Asian Championships
Aiko Sugihara maintained her excellent form of late at the 12th Senior Women's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships. On June 12, in Jecheon, South Korea, Sugihara collected the gold medal in the women's all-around final.
Sugihara amassed 54.765 points in the all-around's four disciplines.
Japanese compatriot Haruka Nakamura was the runner-up (54.365), followed by Xinyi Qin of China (53.599).
The 25-year-old Sugihara triumphed in the same competition at the NHK Trophy on May 17 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It was her first all-around title at the prestigious Tokyo meet since 2015, edging Paris Olympian Rina Kishi by 0.033 points.
What was Sugihara's reaction after winning at the NHK Trophy?
"I never imagined I'd win after 10 years," a thrilled Sugihara told reporters, according to Olympics.com. "We all bloom at different times. I'm just glad I found a way to bloom."
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Triathlon
Royal Windsor Triathlon Announces Partnership with Descente
Descente is the official triathlon sportswear partner for the 2025 Royal Windsor Triathlon, it was announced on Tuesday, June 10.
The Japanese sportswear company has had a long association with the British Triathlon.
And now, from a brand visibility standpoint, Descente will receive additional major exposure at another triathlon in the United Kingdom. The Royal Windsor Triathlon, first held in 1991, is scheduled for Sunday, June 15 in Windsor, Berkshire.
"Partnering with a global performance brand like Descente is a major milestone for the Royal Windsor Triathlon," said Matt Wood, co-founder of RunThrough, the operator of Royal Windsor Triathlon, according to a news release. "We're thrilled to be the UK platform for Descente's AWAKEN program and proud to showcase our event on a truly international stage. This partnership brings together a world-class brand with [a] strong presence and the unique heritage of Windsor."
In highlighting this partnership, a news release stated, "While Descente remains a rising name in the UK sportswear scene, its presence across Asia has long been associated with technical excellence and sleek performance design. By aligning with one of the UK's most distinguished triathlons, the brand aims to introduce its cutting-edge triathlon apparel to a new wave of European athletes."
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
