What Happened 

The Utsunomiya Brex ended New Taipei Kings' third straight EASL postseason with a commanding 85-64 victory, advancing to the EASL Semifinals in convincing fashion. New Taipei came out sharp in the first quarter and actually led 23-12 after the opening period, but the Brex flipped the game entirely in the second quarter, outscoring the Kings 29-7 to take a 48-37 halftime lead they would never relinquish.

Grant Jerrett was the standout performer for Utsunomiya, finishing with 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting with 12 rebounds, while D.J. Newbill contributed 22 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds across 34 minutes. Gavin Edwards added 20 points off the bench as the Brex shot 49.2% from the field and held a commanding 49-38 advantage on the boards. For New Taipei, Jalen Harris led all scorers with 18 points but was held in check for much of the night, finishing at just 31.3% from the field.

The story of the game was that second quarter explosion. Utsunomiya went on an 11-point biggest scoring run and held the lead for 27 minutes and 39 seconds of the contest compared to New Taipei's 11 minutes and 35 seconds, which came almost entirely in that opening quarter. 

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What It Means 
Utsunomiya advances to face Ryukyu Golden Kings in the EASL Semifinals, with a place in the Championship Game on the line. It is a matchup that carries extra weight — the two sides met in the 2024-25 B.LEAGUE Finals just months ago, with the Brex claiming the title in three games.

For Ryukyu, it is a chance at redemption. The Golden Kings are a perennial force in Asian basketball and now in their second straight EASL postseason, but it was Utsunomiya who denied them a fourth consecutive B.LEAGUE championship last season. They will not have forgotten that.

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Player of the Game: Grant Jerrett 

Grant Jerrett was everywhere for Utsunomiya, finishing with 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.
Dangerous both inside and beyond the arc, Jerrett gave New Taipei a matchup problem they never solved — able to punish them in the paint and step out to hit from distance with equal comfort. It was a complete performance from a player who controlled the game on both ends.

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Super Statistic: 29-7
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New Taipei led 23-12 after the first quarter, and for a moment, it looked like the Kings might pull off an upset over the reigning B.LEAGUE champions.
Then Utsunomiya went on a 29-7 second-quarter run — a 22-point swing in ten minutes that put the Brex beyond reach. Jerrett and Newbill led the charge, the lead ballooned, and New Taipei spent the rest of the night chasing a deficit they were never going to close. 

By the final buzzer — throughout the last three quarters — Utsunomiya had outscored New Taipei by 32 — 73-41

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Next Up 

The Utsunomiya Brex take on the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the first semifinal on Friday, March 20 at 18:00 at Studio City Macau.
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The winner advances to the Championship Game — and either outcome would give the B.LEAGUE a third straight EASL title, following victories by the Chiba Jets and Hiroshima Dragonflies in the previous two seasons.