Aomori Wat's escaped Iyo Bank Arena with a 96-95 road win over the Ehime Orange Vikings on Sunday, September 27, 2026, surviving a frantic final possession in one of the tightest finishes of the early B2 League season. The visitors led for most of the second half, but a 24-point fourth quarter from Ehime turned a nine-point deficit into a one-possession game, and only a pair of late free throws separated the two sides when the final buzzer sounded.

Match Overview

The B2 League fixture tipped off at 13:05 local time in Matsuyama and immediately delivered the kind of end-to-end basketball the second division has become known for. Ehime came out aggressive, pushing the pace through their guards and attacking the rim before Aomori's half-court defense could set. The Wat's answered with patient ball movement and timely three-point shooting, and the two teams traded the lead 11 times across the opening three quarters.

Aomori's third-quarter surge — a 28-point frame built on transition baskets and second-chance points — looked like the decisive blow. Ehime, however, refused to fold in front of their home crowd, stringing together a 12-3 run midway through the fourth to pull within a single point. The Orange Vikings had a look at the win in the closing seconds but could not convert, and the Wat's walked away with a one-point victory that could prove valuable when the B2 standings tighten later in the season.

Quarter-by-Quarter

• Q1: Ehime 24-22 — early tempo belongs to the home side
• Q2: Aomori 26-21 — Wat's take a 48-45 halftime lead
• Q3: Aomori 28-26 — visitors stretch the margin to 76-71
• Q4: Ehime 24-20 — late rally falls one point short
• Final: Aomori Wat's 96, Ehime Orange Vikings 95

Key Moments

The game's turning point arrived with just under four minutes left in the third quarter, when Aomori's Marcus Ellison buried back-to-back three-pointers to cap a 10-0 run and push the Wat's ahead by nine. That sequence forced Ehime head coach Hiroshi Kamata into a timeout, and the Orange Vikings responded by switching to a smaller, switch-heavy lineup that finally slowed Aomori's dribble penetration.

In the fourth, Ehime's Taiga Morimoto took over. The point guard scored 11 of his team-high 22 points in the final period, repeatedly drawing contact on drives and knocking down pull-up jumpers off ball screens. His three-point play with 1:12 remaining cut the deficit to 94-93 and sent the home bench into a frenzy.

The decisive possession came with 14 seconds left. Aomori's Kenta Shimizu was fouled intentionally and made both free throws to restore a three-point cushion at 96-93. Ehime answered quickly with a layup, then fouled again, but the Wat's missed the front end of the bonus — giving the Orange Vikings one last inbound with 3.4 seconds on the clock. The final attempt, a contested fadeaway from the left wing, rimmed out.

Tactical Story

Aomori won this game at the margins. The Wat's out-rebounded Ehime 41-34, generating 14 second-chance points that proved to be the difference in a one-point game. Their defensive scheme also dared Ehime's big men to shoot from the perimeter, collapsing on drives and forcing the Orange Vikings into a 6-of-24 night from beyond the arc.

Ehime's counter was pace. When they played fast, they were clearly the better team — the Orange Vikings scored 21 fast-break points and shot 54 percent from inside the arc. The problem was sustaining that tempo against a disciplined opponent willing to foul and reset. Kamata's side also struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 17 of 25 attempts, a shortfall that loomed large in a one-point loss.

Standout Performers

• Taiga Morimoto (Ehime): 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds — the engine of the fourth-quarter comeback
• Darius Coleman (Ehime): 19 points, 11 rebounds — a double-double in the paint
• Riku Hayashida (Ehime): 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including three triples
• Marcus Ellison (Aomori): 26 points, 5 rebounds — the game's leading scorer and its most reliable late-game option
• Brandon Whitfield (Aomori): 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks — dominant on the glass in the second half
• Kenta Shimizu (Aomori): 15 points, 9 assists, and the two clutch free throws that sealed it

What It Means for the B2 League Table

For Aomori Wat's, the result is an early-season statement: winning on the road against a fellow playoff hopeful is exactly the kind of result that separates the top six from the chasing pack in the B2 League. The Wat's move into the upper half of the standings with momentum behind them and