Near the midway point of the third quarter of the B.League season opener, Utsunomiya Brex playmaker DJ Newbill drove to the basket and shot a layup off the backboard. It was a simple snapshot of the game, emblematic of the Brex's overall performance.
The angle of the shot was perfect and the ball sailed through the bottom of the net, adding two points to the defending B.League champions' total.
Newbill's display of athleticism extended the visitors' lead to 54-31 on a play in which it looked like he was running downhill at Toyota Arena Tokyo, the Alvark Tokyo's brand-new home gym, on Friday night, October 3.
The two-time reigning B.League MVP missed the subsequent free throw at the 4:29 mark. But he more than made up for it with an abundance of impactful plays in the Brex's 81-56 triumph over the Alvark.
Exhibit A: Heading into the fourth quarter, Newbill led all players in points (15), rebounds (nine) and assists (eight).
The Alvark trailed 60-40 at the end of the third quarter. And they only led for 19 seconds of the 40-minute game.
Tokyo coach Dainius Adomaitis, now in his fourth season in charge, boiled down the outcome of the game to a few key factors.
"They came into the game very confident," he said of the Brex.
Furthermore, he pointed out, Tokyo didn't match Utsunomiya's level of physicality in the opener.
"You need to be much, much tougher," the Lithuanian bench boss said, telling reporters what his message to his players will be for Sunday afternoon's rematch.
The game, played before an announced crowd of 9,534, ushered in the B.League's 10th season.
Balanced Scoring Carries the Brex
As highlighted above, veteran guard Newbill set the tone for the Brex. He finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in 26-plus minutes.
But it was far from a one-man show. Three of Newbill's teammates also scored in double figures. Isaac Fotu had 15 points, Gavin Edwards poured in 13 and Makoto Hiejima chipped in with 10. All three players were key contributors during the team's championship campaign, and nearly the entire squad is the same as the 2024-25 roster.
Brex head coach Zico Coronel, beginning his first full season at the helm, was pleased with his team's overall effort in the opening game.
"It's a very, very good team, even though they are a little undermanned as we are at this time," Coronel said of the Alvark. "They are a great challenge, and I think we rose to a lot of the challenges today."
Utsunomiya outrebounded Tokyo 50-39 and had a 22-9 advantage in second-chance points. The Brex's 12-2 edge in fast-break points was also a direct result of their more aggressive play.
"I think the energy was right, the physicality was right," Coronel said after the game, assessing his team's performance. "At times, we did the right things technically enough to win, yes."
Top Performers for the Alvark
Guard Shuto Ando had a team-best 16 points, big man Sebastian Saiz added 15 points and 10 rebounds and newcomer Marcus Foster scored 10 points.
Frontcourt leader Ryan Rossiter (left hamstring) and point guard Kai Toews (poor physical condition), starters in 2024-25, missed the opener due to injuries.
Adomaitis said his team needs to rise to the challenge despite playing without a full complement of players.
"We can't use that as an excuse," he told reporters. "You need to play, you need to compete."
The Alvark shot 6-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc on Friday night.
Brex Take a Commanding Lead in the 1st Half
Alternating chants of "Let's Go, Tokyo" and "Let's Go, Tochigi" filled the arena with energy and enthusiasm shortly after the game began.
Both teams hustled and displayed energy to match the fans' excitement in the early going.
In the first quarter, the Brex jumped out to a 13-7 lead on an Edwards 3-pointer.
The Alvark responded with a quick 7-0 scoring spurt, taking their first lead of the game (14-13) on a Saiz slam dunk.
Utsunomiya then regained control, closing out the opening quarter on a 12-1 run. That gave the Brex a 25-15 lead heading into the second period.
The Alvark made just 6 of 17 shots in the first quarter. Saiz was the only Tokyo player with more than three points in the season-opening game's first 10 minutes.
For the Brex, Edwards was the top scorer in the opening stanza (eight points) and Newbill had six points. As a team, Utsunomiya made 9 of 17 shots in the period.
In the second quarter, the reigning champions took their biggest lead of the half (45-25) on a Seiji Ikaruga free throw to cap a 13-0 run with 44.5 seconds remaining until the intermission.
During the big scoring run, a Hiejima jumper in traffic, a Newbill spot-up 3-pointer and back-to-back Fotu buckets gave the visitors a slew of points in a hurry. And Tokyo's dry spell continued for a few more minutes — and additional points by Utsunomiya.
Foster ended the Alvark scoring drought with a layup with 30.1 seconds left in the half.
The Brex led 45-27 at halftime.
First-Half Statistics from the B.League Opener
Tokyo made just 3 of 14 3-points attempts and 10 of 33 shots from the floor before the break. The Alvark had nine assists and eight turnovers. Saiz (11 points) was the team's top scorer in the opening half.
Utsunomiya sank 6 of 22 3s and converted 17 of 37 shots. The Brex dished out 13 assists and committed five turnovers.
Newbill facilitated the offense, scoring 11 points and dishing out six assists in the opening half. He also pulled down five rebounds. Teammates Edwards (10 points), Fotu (seven) and Hiejima and Ikaruga (four apiece) also made key scoring contributions in the first 20 minutes of the game.
FYI on the 2025-26 B.League Season
Twenty-six teams are in the B.League first division this season, a 60-game campaign. Three teams were promoted from the second division, aka B2 (Shiga Lakes, Toyama Grouses and Altiri Chiba).
Tokyo and Utsunomiya are back on the court on Sunday for the series finale.
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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.
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