ALVARK Tokyo denied Shinshu Brave Warriors' late rally to take the 65-58 win Saturday in the 2021-22 B.League season at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi.
Anthony McHenry helped the visitors fight back from 17 points down and trimmed the Shinshu deficit to just five, 63-58, with a layup in the last 23.7 seconds, but Shuto Ando was a cool customer from the free throw line and iced the game for Alvark in the last 21 ticks.
Daiki Tanaka led the balanced attack for Alvark with 16 points and five assists, while Spanish center Sebas Saiz came off the bench for 13 points, 11 boards, and two blocks.
Naturalized big man Ryan Rossiter also fired 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists for Tokyo, which extended its winning streak to three to rise to a 3-2 slate.
Brave Warriors await Matthew Aquino
Shinshu, meanwhile, suffered their third straight defeat to drop to 2-3 while waiting for the clearance of new signee Matthew Aquino.
McHenry led the Brave Warriors with 18 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals, as Yuta Okada got 12 points, two boards, and two assists in the loss.
The two teams finish the two-game series on Sunday, still on Alvark's home court.
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