THE Kawasaki Brave Thunders escaped the upset axe from the Toyama Grouses to come away with a 91-87 decision in the 2021-22 B.League season Saturday at Kawasaki City Todoroki Arena.
Former Petron import and naturalized player Nick Fazekas played big late, scoring 11 of his 27 points in the last five minutes to rescue the hosts from the tough loss against the cellar-dwellers.
Fazekas shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line, to go with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals as Kawasaki won back-to-back games and improved to 7-3.
He scored four of the Brave Thunders' last six points, including the floater that gave them an 89-84 lead with 16.7 ticks left.
Julian Mavunga was relentless for the Grouses, making a three with 4.3 seconds remaining, but Yuma Fujii put the game on lock with a pair of charities in the last 3.2.
Fujii also made big strides in the game, making four of his six treys for 23 points, eight assists, three boards, and three steals.
Pablo Aguilar chimed in 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists off the bench, while Satoru Maeta also got 11 points on 3-of-6 clip from downtown.
The two teams face off again on Sunday.
It was an admirable showing from Toyama which rallied from a 15-point second quarter hole.
Dwight Ramos B.League news
Dwight Ramos was a valuable piece for the Grouses' attack with his 13 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the tough defeat.
Mavunga paced Toyama with 22 points on 4-of-9 clip from deep, as well as eight boards and five dimes, while Keijuro Matsui scored seven of his 21 points in the payoff period as he shot 4-of-7 from distance, on top of his four rebounds and four assists.
Joshua Smith also scored 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss as Toyama dropped to a 1-9 card.
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