Thirdy Ravena (File photo)
MANILA – Thirdy Ravena finally got a win in his comeback trail as San-En edged Shiga, 82-76, in their B. League showdown on Sunday at the Ukaru-chan Arena in Otsu, Japan.
After letting the game slip away late the night before, the NeoPhoenix sustained an early shutdown on the Lakestars until the end as they snapped a seven-game slide.
After engaging in a high-scoring first quarter on Saturday night, San-En held Shiga to only 13 points in the first 10 minutes.
The NeoPhoenix sustained their dominance for almost the rest of the way, even opening a 79-68 cushion with only 40 seconds left.
Jordan Hamilton, who sizzled late in their last meeting, tried to rally the Lakestars in the endgame again, but his efforts came up short in the end despite the NeoPhoenix missing some late free throws.
Stevan Jelovac led San-En, which moved up to 12-41 overall, with 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.
Hayato Kawashima added 16 points, two rebounds, five assists, and one steal, while Tatsuya Suzuki went 5-for-5 from the field for 13 points with five assists.
Ravena put up seven points including a highlight reel dunk, six rebounds, and three assists.
Hamilton finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal for Shiga, which lost despite only committing four turnovers the entire game as they were held to 36 percent shooting.
Box Scores:
San-En 82 -- Jelovac 28, Kawashima 16, Suzuki 13, Hunt 12, Ravena 7, Miljenovic 4, Tsuya 2, Ota 0, Okada 0, Terazono 0
Shiga 76 -- Hamilton 25, Octeus 12, Brandt 11, Hareyama 9, Murakami 8, Karimata 6, Tongu 3, Imagawa 2, Nomoto 0
Quarterscores: 18-13, 42-35, 65-53, 82-76 (PNA)
