Moon Township, Pa. – Honoka Ikematsu, 2021 alumna of the RMU women's basketball program, has signed a professional contract with the Yamanashi Queenbees of the Japan Women's Basketball League (JWBL), as announced by the organization last Saturday.
Ikematsu concluded a four-year career at RMU in 2020-21, graduating as one of the best three-point shooters in program history. The program's first player from Japan ranks sixth all-time in three-pointers made (163) and ninth in three-point percentage (.363), with her freshman marks in three-pointers made (65) and three-point percentage (.414) slotting eighth and ninth, respectively, in the single-season record book. She appeared in the 2018 Postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) and 2019 NCAA Tournament, playing in 103 games overall with 61 starts.
The Kumamoto, Japan product burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017-18, earning All-Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie Team honors as the Colonials won a school-record 25 games. She averaged 8.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, and ranked third in the NEC in three-point percentage (.414), eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.0), and 10th in assists. Ikematsu captured NEC Rookie of the Week honors twice, highlighted by a pair of performances on New Year's Eve weekend that saw her score 23 points at Fairleigh Dickinson and a career-high 25 points two days later at Sacred Heart.
The JWBL features 12 teams and is split into East and West divisions, with the top four teams in each division advancing to the playoffs. The Yamanashi Queenbees were founded in 1968 and joined the JWBL in 2011.
Ikematsu becomes the 23rd player under RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia to play professionally, joining a list with former teammates Nneka Ezeigbo (2016-20) and Megan Smith (2014-18).
LINK: Colonials in the Pros
RMU earned a pair of wins over Horizon League regular-season and tournament champion Wright State in 2020-21, and is slated to return its top three scorers in Nina Augustin, Esther Castedo, and Sol Castro. The Colonials have won 20 or more games in five of their last six seasons, and are the only Division I program to rank inside the top four of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Honor Roll four years running.
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