Thirdy Ravena and San-En could not perform a Christmas miracle in Akita, bowing to the Northern Happinets, 79-89, Saturday at CNA Arena.
Ravena scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting with two rebounds and an assist. The 6-foot-2 Asian import logged in 23 minutes of gametime.
But Akita was just too overwhelming to start the game.
Down 37-51 entering the second half, NeoPheonix crawled back late, cutting the lead down to just six, 72-78, with three minutes left.
Alex Davis though was not to be denied, knocking down a cold-blooded triple with just under two minutes left to restore order and the victory.
Stevan Jelovac led San-En once more with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Kyle Hunt and Hayato Kawashima added 15 markers each.
San-En dropped to 5-19 in the West for ninth place.
Akita, who went up to 15-9 in the East, was led by Dais with 17 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals.
Masashi Hosoya added 15 points build on three treys.
The two squads will meet again on Sunday.
