Forward Andre Smith scored the go-ahead basket with 9 seconds remaining to lift the Niigata Albirex BB to a 90-89 victory over the host Rizing Fukuoka on Friday night. Rodney Webb led Niigata (20-11, 7-8 on the road) with 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Smith finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Takamichi Fujiwara (14 points), Matt Garrison (11 points, seven assists) and Naoto Kosuge (10 points, six assists, five rebounds) all made significant contributions. For Fukuoka (10-19), Joshua Peppers scored a game-high 37 points, Michael Parker had a double-double (10 points, 10 boards) and Kazuyuki Nakagawa, a former Takamatsu Five Arrows player, had four points and two assists in his season debut.
