The powerhouse Sea Horses withstood a tough challenge by Toshiba, but came through down the stretch as Aisin defeated the Brave Thunders 77-71 in Game 1 of the JBL Finals on Wednesday night.
Center J.R. Sakuragi had a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Sea Horses, while his team was sharp from behind the 3-point arc, nailing 12-for-20.
The game was a seesaw contest at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2. The lead changed 14 times in the first three quarters. A pair of 3s by Shogo Asayama bolstered an Aisin run and it widened the gap to as many as 14 points in the final period.