Where: Brex Arena Utsunomiya 

When: Wednesday, January 21, 7 P.M. JST

Team Records: Utsunomiya Brex (1-2) / Hong Kong Eastern (2-2)

Where to Watch: Ticket Information / Broadcast Information  

‍

‍

PROJECTED STARTERS 

Utsunomiya Brex: 

PG: D.J. Newbill — 193cm / 96kg

SG: Atsuya Ogawa — 190cm / 85kg

SF: Makoto Hiejima — 191cm / 87kg 

PF: Isaac Fotu — 203cm / 108kg

C: Gavin Edwards — 206cm / 112kg

‍

Hong Kong Eastern

PG: Glen Yang — 193cm / 91kg

SG: Jenning Leung — 186cm / 84kg

SF: Dominic Gilbert — 197cm / N/A 

PF: Cameron Clark  — 198cm / 95kg

C: Alexandre Gavrilovic  — 208cm / 112kg

‍

‍

‍

‍TEAM STATISTIC LEADERS 

Utsunomiya Brex

Points: Isaac Fotu — 28.0 (4th in EASL) 

Rebounds: Isaac Fotu — 9.7 

Assists: D.J. Newbill — 7.0 (3rd in EASL) 

Steals: Makoto Hiejima, Shinji Takashima — 1.3 

Blocks: Makoto Hiejima, Isaac Fotu — 0.3 

‍

Hong Kong Eastern 

Points: Cameron Clark — 24.3 

Rebounds: Alexandre Gavrilovic — 10.3

Assists: Glen Yang — 4.8 

Steals: Dominic Gilbert — 1.3

Blocks: Alexandre Gavrilovic — 1.0 

‍

‍

‍

THE RUNDOWN 

The Utsunomiya Brex and Hong Kong Eastern will meet for the first time this regular season on Wednesday, January 21.

For the Brex, the situation is straightforward. A win would move them to 2-2 and into third place in Group A, keeping them firmly in the race. But if they drop this one, they would fall to 1-3 with only two games remaining, putting them in a tough spot considering the three other teams in the group have already built up two or three wins.

On the other side, Hong Kong Eastern has a chance to keep rolling. A win would push Eastern to 3-2, marking a third straight victory, and it would lift them into second place in Group A, jumping above the reigning P. LEAGUE+ runners-up — the Taipei Fubon Braves. A loss for either team doesn’t end the season on the spot, but it does tighten the margin for error in a group where every result matters.

With Utsunomiya trying to secure a crucial second win and Eastern looking to climb the table, this one should make for an exciting night.

‍

THE BREX 

Utsunomiya enters this one at 1-2, and honestly, they have not looked like the reigning B.LEAGUE champions so far in EASL. 

The Brex bring a one-game losing streak into Wednesday after a wire-to-wire 84-78 loss to the Seoul SK Knights on December 17, the current leaders of Group A. Utsunomiya trailed for 38 of the 40 minutes and never truly found a rhythm.

In that game, Isaac Fotu did his part with 27 points, but he did not get enough help. Two-time reigning B.LEAGUE MVP DJ Newbill finished with just 12 points and shot under 30% from the field, and no other Brex star was able to consistently lift the offense.

Now, Utsunomiya faces another challenge. Starting shooting guard Shinji Takashima, who has started all three EASL games, will miss this matchup while dealing with an undisclosed injury, with no clear timeline yet. In his place, the Brex are expected to turn to young guard Atsuya Ogawa, who recently returned midseason from an injury of his own and is likely to be called upon for a bigger role.

For the Brex to get back on track, it starts with returning to their normal level. With Makoto Hiejima, D.J. Newbill, Gavin Edwards, and the rest of that roster, the pieces are there — they just need to execute cleaner on both ends.

‍

EASTERN 

Hong Kong Eastern is arguably the hottest team in the league right now. On January 21 in Utsunomiya, Eastern has a chance to fully erase its 0-2 start by winning a third straight game and improving to 3-2.

Since breaking through with its first win of the season on December 28 against the Taipei Fubon Braves, Eastern followed it up with a statement overtime victory over Group A leaders Seoul SK Knights, 96-83, on January 7. Down 91-88 late in regulation, import forward Cameron Clark drilled a top of the key 3 to tie it with 1.2 seconds left, then Eastern exploded on a 15-2 run in overtime to take the win.

That result proved Eastern can hang with the best, and now they get another major test against the reigning B.LEAGUE champions in the Utsunomiya Brex. Clark has been excellent and leads the team at 24.3 points per game. Dominic Gilbert fills a do-it-all role for this group, while Jennings Leung has shot the lights out and raised his scoring output from 10.7 points per game last season to 16.5 this year.

With their energy and underdog mindset, Eastern is a dangerous opponent right now. If they keep that edge, the Brex are going to have a real dogfight on their hands

‍

SPOTLIGHT STORYLINE 

‍EASTERN’S B.LEAGUE WOES

Over the past two EASL seasons, Hong Kong Eastern has consistently punched above its weight. An expansion team just last year, Eastern has already taken wins over some of the continent’s top clubs.

Across last season and this one, Eastern has beaten teams from the KBL, the PBA, and Chinese Taipei’s P. LEAGUE+, highlighted by its December 28 win over the Taipei Fubon Braves. The one league still missing from that list is Japan’s B.LEAGUE.

That’s what makes this matchup compelling. Last season, Eastern faced one B.LEAGUE opponent twice — eventual champions Hiroshima Dragonflies — and came up short both times, falling 78–67 on October 16, 2024, and 88–75 on October 30, 2024.

Now comes another opportunity, this time against Utsunomiya. Can Eastern finally break through against B.LEAGUE opposition? We’re about to find out.