[Bucheon On-Site Review] 'Japan's Wall Was Too High' Samsung Life Finishes as Runner-Up in Futures League, Loses 54-79 to Aramare... Japan Claims Back-to-Back Titles

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan's wall was too high. Yongin Samsung Life narrowly missed the championship.

On the 6th, Samsung Life lost to Japan's Aramare 54-79 in the 2026 ticketLINK WKBL Futures League final held at Bucheon Indoor Gymnasium.

With this result, Samsung Life, which had challenged for the title for the first time since the 2022–2023 season after a four-year gap, failed to clear the final hurdle. Samsung Life holds the record for the most Futures League titles in the past decade with four championships (2018–2019, 2019–2020, 2021–2022, and 2022–2023).

A Japanese W-League team has now claimed the Futures League title for two consecutive years, following Tokyo Haneda last year with Aramare this year.

The two teams had previously faced each other in the group stage. At that time, Samsung Life suffered a narrow defeat 64-69.

Before the match, Aramare coach Hiromi Higashida identified Samsung Life's Choi Ye-seul and Lee Ye-na as players to watch. He also highly praised Samsung Life as a team that is tall yet moves actively.

However, Samsung Life faced a different situation than in the group stage. With the semi-final against Cheongju KB Stars held the previous afternoon, there was insufficient time for recovery. Samsung Life's head coach Lee Mi-sun admitted, "It felt like we just woke up and came out," acknowledging the "difficult physical condition."

She further emphasized, "The players need to give one more step forward."

Samsung Life started well. Leading with fast breaks, they recorded a 5-0 run and seemed to seize early momentum.

However, after that, there were many instances where the ball was stolen during offensive plays, leading to counterattacks by the opponent. Samsung Life fell behind as the score gap closed, eventually allowing an 9-13 comeback lead.

Even a three-point shot by Samsung Life's Yu Ha-on failed to shift the momentum, and they ultimately ended the first quarter trailing 14-20.

In the second quarter, their offense remained stagnant. No field goals were scored for over eight minutes. The only points came from free throws by Yu Ha-eun and Miyazaki Momo.

Meanwhile, Aramare pulled further ahead. With 'Senegal's ace' Baimba Diyasun dominating the paint, Tsuchida Honoka hit a three-point shot.

Samsung Life broke their field goal drought with a three-pointer by Lee Da-yeon at 2 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the quarter. Following that, points from Lee Ye-na and Han Ji-min provided a foothold for the comeback attempt.

Samsung Life started the third quarter leading 41-27. Momo hit a three-pointer, and Jo Su-a drew a foul from outside to earn free throws, completing a three-point play. The gap narrowed to single digits.

However, the feared physical issue materialized. Samsung Life easily allowed fast breaks and lost focus, surrendering rebounds. In contrast, Aramare's Sato Chihiro and Tajima Yukina scored consecutive three-pointers in the middle of the quarter.

Despite Lee Da-yeon's efforts in the fourth quarter, Samsung Life could not close the score gap. The lead widened to as much as 19 points at one stage. Ultimately, Samsung Life had to settle for runner-up honors. Aramare achieved the feat of reaching the top in their first-ever Futures League appearance.

On this day, Aramare's Diyasun delivered a dominant performance with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Tajima Yukina scored 15 points, and Naito Yui added 13 points. Samsung Life's Lee Da-yeon contributed 14 points, but it was not enough to prevent the team defeat. Jo Su-a recorded 9 points.

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*This content was translated by AI.