The upset bid of Dwight Ramos and Toyama against Shimane fell short, bowing 75-79 in the 2021-22 B.League season, Saturday at Toyama City Gymnasium.
In a surprise, the Grouses were able to keep close against the highly-touted Susanoo Magic squad that is currently second in the west division.
With the game tied at 69-all 2:32 left, Seiya Ando fired back-to-back treys to put his side up 75-71.
Though Naoki Uto and Brice Johnson tried to keep the Grouses within striking distance, a split on the stripe by Perrin Buford put the Susanoo Magic up by three with 18 ticks remaining.
A miss by Keijuro Matsui from deep with four seconds left led to Ando sealing the deal on the stripe.
Shimane went up to 29-10 while Toyama fell to 16-25.
Ando had a huge game for Shimane, dropping 28 points built on five treys. Nick Kay added 20 points and 10 rebounds while Buford also tallied a triple-double with 14 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Johnson led Toyama with 22 points and 15 rebounds while Naoki Uto got 18 points. Dwight Ramos also produced 12 points.
The two teams meet again tomorrow.
