Gunma Crane Thunders kept a firm grip on the fifth spot in Japan B.LEAGUE’s Eastern conference, while Osaka Evessa have lost three of their last five outings.
AJ Edu made the most of his minutes in Gunma’s dominant 81-65 win over Osaka Evessa in the 2025-26 Japan B.LEAGUE Saturday, Feb. 7.
Edu was on the floor for only 16 minutes, but he wasted no time in producing eight points and four rebounds to help his team dominate fellow Filipino Ray Parks' squad.
Parks fired 13 points, but just could not help the Evessa get over the hump at the Open House Arena in Ota City.
It was Kerry Blackshear Jr. who stood at the forefront of the Crane Thunders’ attack, turning in 18 points on a perfect 2-for-2 from deep.
He also had seven rebounds and four assists for the home team, which imposed its might early on.
Gunma came out with guns blazing, jumping to a 29-14 start, but sputtered in the second period before delivering the finishing blow in the fourth.
Behind Blackshear, Yuuma Fuji and Johannes Tiemann, the Crane Thunders outgunned Osaka in the final frame, 24-10 for the win.
Gunma thus improved to 23-13 for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Evessa have lost three of their last five games for a 15-21 mark.
Matt Bonds topscored for Osaka with 18 points.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.