B.League: Matthew Wright’s hot hand helps Kyoto snap skid
FILE–Kyoto Hannaryz player Matthew Wright. Photo from B.League
MANILA, Philippines — Matthew Wright waxed hot to end Kyoto Hannaryz’s two-game skid as he torched Osaka Evessa, 89-82, in the 2022-23 B.League at Kyoto Gymnasium.
The Filipino-Canadian shooter fired 22 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, and dished out six assists to go with two rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes.
Wright’s playmaking resulted in Kyoto’s balanced attack with Cheick Diallo putting up 17 points and 13 rebounds. Jarrod Uthoff also tallied a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanta Mizuno and Jotaro Mitsuda chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Hannaryz regained their winning ways with a 15-23 record, bouncing back from an 81-68 loss to Osaka, where Wright was limited to just two points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Makoto Kinoshita led Osaka with 26 points, while Sean O’mara had 20 points and seven rebounds as they slid to 18-20.
Meanwhile, Dwight Ramos was scoreless in nine minutes of playing time but the Levanga Hokkaido were still able to snap their three-game slide with a 77-64 victory over Utsonomiya Brex.
Ramos missed all of his four shots and only had one assist with Shawn Long carrying the cudgels of Hokkaido with 29 points and 16 rebounds, while Brock Motum had 25 points and seven rebounds to improve their record to 9-29.
Utsonomiya failed to sustain its momentum from its 101-73 conquest on Saturday as it dropped to a 20-18 record.
However, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Thirdy Ravena were not as fortunate as their fellow Filipinos as their respective teams continued to struggle.
Parks delivered 10 points, two assists, one rebound, and a steal but the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins yielded to the Chiba Jets, 94-76.
Parks and the Diamond Dolphins dropped to a 27-11 slate after the Jets completed a weekend sweep.
Ravena, on the other hand, dropped 15 points but it wasn’t enough to save the San-En NeoPhoenix from absorbing their third straight loss at the hands of the Ryukyu Golden Kings, 73-63.
Ravena played an efficient game with a 7-of-12 shooting and collected five rebounds and four assists but San-En fell to a 16-22 record.
Ryukyu, still waiting for Carl Tamayo’s arrival, leaned on Josh Duncan and Allen Durham, who scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, to extend its win streak to five games, rising to a 29-9 record.
