The Kanazawa Samuraiz fell short of victory in their regular-season debut in the bj-league, falling 68-64 to the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz on Saturday night.
Kyoto, which set a league record for wins (44) last season, built a 38-22 halftime advantage, and the Samuraiz chipped away at the deficit over the final 20 minutes.
Kanazawa post player Andrew Fitzgerald, a University of Oklahoma product, led the expansion squad with 21 points on 9-for-17 shooting, with eight rebounds in 24-plus productive minutes.