Kobe Paras took round one.
In a battle of two good friends, it was Paras who came out victorious in their opening salvo. He helped Niigata take a 77-64 win over good pal Thirdy Ravena and San-En, Saturday at the Hamamatsu Arena.
Paras capped a 21-point outing with a huge one-handed slam with 40 seconds left that gave his side a 77-64 lead. The 6-foot-6 University of the Philippines product also had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
Knowing that the NeoPhoenix boosters were riled up as it was their home debut, Albirex stormed off the gate with a huge 23-11 opening frame.
Ravena came out strong in the third canto, firing back-to-back triples to slice the lead down to three, 45-42. However, Paras and Niigata responded with a 13-5 blast to take full control of the contest.
Rosco Allen complemented Paras with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Meanwhile, Tshilidzi Nephawe added 13 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
Jeff Ayres also had a solid 11-point, seven rebound-outing for Niigata.
Albirex raised its slate in the 2021-22 B.League season with a 2-1 record, while dropping NeoPhoenix to 1-2.
Ravena tallied 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting with four assists, two steals, and two rebounds.
Robert Carter and Elias Harris were checked, with the former tallying 12 points and six rebounds while the latter finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The two teams face each other again tomorrow at 1:05 PM (Manila time).
