[Cheongju On-Site Review] Japan's Fujitsu Advances to the Final Again, Aiming for the First 'Three-Peat by a Foreign Team' in the Park Shin-ja Cup... Shinhan Bank Falls Short Despite Fierce Pursuit

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Incheon Shinhan Bank mounted a tenacious pursuit but unfortunately fell short at the threshold of the final. Japan's Fujitsu Red Wave has once again advanced to the championship game, where they will challenge for a three-peat in the Park Shin-ja Cup.

Shinhan Bank, led by Head Coach Choi Yoon-a, lost 60-88 to Japan's Fujitsu in the semifinals of the 2026 KB Kookmin Bank Park Shin-ja Cup held at Cheongju Gymnasium on the 10th.

In this tournament, Shinhan Bank recorded a 3-1 record in Group B and advanced to the semifinals as the second-place team in their group. They shared a 3-1 record with Asan Woori Bank and Bucheon Hana Bank from the same group but secured second place based on the tournament's tiebreaker criteria.

Shinhan Bank fielded players who contributed to the gold medal win for the Korean Yeo Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, including Hong Yu-sun, as well as Kaneda Mana, who donned the Shinhan Bank jersey after being selected with the first overall pick in this year's rookie draft.

It was their first time reaching the semifinals since the Park Shin-ja Cup was restructured into an international tournament format in 2023, but they could not overcome the high wall of defending champions Fujitsu.

Fujitsu recorded a perfect 4-0 record in Group A, which included Cheongju KB, Busan BNK, and Yongin Samsung Life Insurance, to claim first place in their group. They continued their unstoppable momentum by defeating Shinhan Bank in the semifinals as well.

The roster is also impressive. It features players such as Owaki Haru, who played for the Japanese Yeo Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team at this year's Asian Games, Miyazawa Yuki, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2024 Park Shin-ja Cup, and Machida Rui, who previously played for the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

For Shinhan Bank on this day, Asian quota player Noguchi Sakura performed well with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Hong Yu-sun also contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds, Kaneda added 10 points, and Kim Ji-young chipped in with 8 points, but they could not prevent the team's defeat.

Fujitsu showcased balanced play as a remarkable 11 players scored. Among them, Owaki, a member of the 'Japanese national team,' poured in 15 points and 8 rebounds.

With this result, Fujitsu will face the winner of the Woori Bank-KB semifinal in the final on the 11th to compete for the championship trophy. The semifinal between Woori Bank and KB will be held at 5 p.m. on the same day.

If Fujitsu rises to the top again, they will achieve the first three-peat by a foreign team in the history of the Park Shin-ja Cup. Among domestic teams, Hana Bank accomplished a three-peat from 2018 to 2020.

Fujitsu dominated from the start. Shinhan Bank finished the first quarter trailing significantly, 11-24. Fujitsu seized the lead early by leveraging the height of 191cm forward Samantha Puring.

However, Shinhan Bank did not crumble easily.

They launched a full-scale pursuit from the second quarter. Kim Ji-young and Hong Yu-sun steadily accumulated points in the paint area, and perimeter shots began to fall as well.

In the middle of the second quarter, Noguchi, Kaneda, and Shin Ji-hyun hit consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap to 33-37 at one point.

Shinhan Bank ended the first half with a mere four-point deficit of 37-41 after Kaneda scored on their final possession of the second quarter. They had completely closed the gap that had widened significantly in the first quarter.

However, Fujitsu pulled away again in the second half. Right at the start of the third quarter, they allowed Puring to hit a three-pointer. Although Kaneda responded with a perimeter shot, Fujitsu also knocked down consecutive three-pointers, causing the gap to widen back into double digits.

Shinhan Bank increased their reliance on perimeter shots in an attempt to close the gap, but their accuracy suffered. Instead, Fujitsu took control of the momentum by scoring consecutively for approximately three minutes at the end of the third quarter.

After being held scoreless for a while, Shinhan Bank broke through the frustrating flow with Hong Yu-sun's final three-pointer in the quarter. The third quarter ended with Fujitsu leading 65-49 by 16 points.

Nevertheless, Shinhan Bank did not give up until the very end. Entering the fourth quarter, they intensified their defensive pressure to try to stop Fujitsu's offense. On offense, they aggressively attacked the rim in an attempt to tie the game.

However, their perimeter shots would not fall. Moreover, there was not enough time left to turn the tide.

Ultimately, Fujitsu maintained its lead until the final whistle, advancing to the last hurdle toward a third consecutive championship.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original