BENGALURU (India) - Haruna Kasagi provided the stabilizing presence Denso badly needed to withstand Cheongju KB, 80-65, on Thursday night to stay unbeaten heading into the FIBA WBL Asia 2026 Semi-Finals.
The former Japan youth team standout finished with 20 points, including 12 in the fourth as she almost single-handedly repelled the opposition after the Stars tried to come back from down 18 entering the frame.
She capped off her takeover with a dagger triple off a Mai Kawai assist, pushing their lead to 76-60 with 1:43 remaining which finally doused cold water to their WKBL counterparts' rally once and for all.
"She's one of the players that we trust," said head coach Vladimir Vuksanovic. "She scored the big shots because she was open. And that was a team effort; for her to be open, she executed well. She played well."
Kasagi shot an excellent 8-for-10 from the floor, including a 3-of-4 clip from deep, and also had 3 rebounds and 3 steals as her efforts ultimately enabled the Iris to clinch the top spot in Group B with a clean 2-0 record.
With that, the W League champions have forged a showdown with the no. 2 team of Group A in Cathay Life in the Semi-Finals, set this Saturday, October 24, still at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.
"They're a good team. They play strongly. I haven't seen them much, but I saw that they're really strong on the ball, they drive strong, they have two players inside that are very skilled," said the Serbian mentor of the Tigers.
"But, yeah, it's the Semi-Finals. We expect to increase the pace of our basketball, they're going to play the way they want, so we will see who will prevail. But it's a good team," Vuksanovic continued.
Maki Takada was the only other player in double figures for Denso with 12 points and 7 rebounds, as her steady presence amidst the team's frenetic pace enabled the team to lead by as many as 23 points.
"We haven't really watched a lot of film. But it's not really about what they're going to do; it's about playing our basketball, if we can play up to our standards. That's what we're going to focus on," said Takada.
Cheongju, on the other hand, were led by Na Yunjeong with 15 points. Japanese reinforcement Sara Sakai backed her up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists as the tandem played a key role in their fourth-quarter attack.
With the loss, the Stars will head into the Semi-Finals as the no. 2 team of the group with a 1-1 record, and will be taking on inaugural WBL Asia champions Sichuan Yuanda Meile, the best team of Group A with 2-0 card.
FIBA