FOURTH quarter struggles doomed the depleted San-En NeoPhoenix as they suffered a 63-55 defeat to SeaHorses Mikawa in the 2020-21 B.League Saturday at Toyohashi City General Gymnasium.
Leading by two entering the fourth quarter, the home team shot a horrendous 4-of-14 clip in the closing frame as San-En got outscored by Mikawa, 23 to 13, to put the game out of reach.
It spoiled a stellar showing from Takanobu Nishikawa, who led the charge with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Veteran center Atsuya Ota contributed 12 points and seven boards, while Hayato Kawashima chipped in 10 points and eight assists in the defeat.
The loss kept San-En at the bottom of the standings at 0-3, with the second of its two-game home stand against Mikawa slated on Sunday.
Reinforcements Thirdy Ravena, who is yet to secure his Japanese visa, and Serbian imports Stevan Jelovac and Nenad Miljenovic continued to miss the game for the NeoPhoenix.
Also absent for San-En is its head coach Branislav Vićentić, who is still undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving in Japan last week.
SeaHorses banked on the superb showing from American import Davante Gardner, who led the charge with his 24 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks, while Takuya Kawamura had 14 points, three assists, and two boards in the win.
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