MANILA – Matthew Wright scored on a go-ahead triple as Kyoto Hannaryz pulled off an 86-83 upset win over Utsunomiya Brex in the Japan B.League Division 1 over the weekend at the Kataoka Arena Kyoto.
With the score tied at 83-all after a three-pointer by Kyoto’s Ryuji Aoki, Wright gave Kyoto the upperhand at 86-83 with a step-back three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the game.
Wright finished with 19 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter, to go with three triples, four assists, and three steals as the Hannaryz notched its sixth win as against 14 losses.
Kevin Jones tallied a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way for the Hannaryz, Aoki added 12 markers, while Seiya Konishi contributed 11 points in the win.
D.J. Newbill had 19 points, Makoto Hiejima added 18 markers with four three-pointers, while Grant Jerrett and Isaac Fotu ended with 11 points each as the Utsunomiya dropped to 16-5.
Meanwhile, Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III had another solid offensive game as the San-en NeoPhoenix scored a lopsided 108-77 victory over the Saga Ballooners at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles star finished with 19 points, including two three-point connections, to go with seven assists, four rebounds, and a steal for San-en, now with an 18-3 record.
Ryusei Sasaki uncorked 20 points to lead the NeoPhoenix, Coty Clarke had a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Yante Maten and David Dudzinski had 17 and 15, respectively.
Reynaldo Garcia finished with 21 points, Chase Fieler added 16 markers, while Yoeli Childs and Atsuki Kishida ended with 13 and 11, respectively, as the Ballooners dropped to 10-10.
Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo tallied two points, two assists, and one rebound as the defending champions Ryukyu Golden Kings scored a 76-71 win over Hiroshima Dragonflies./PN
