Bench players Tomoya Hasegawa and Shinsuke Kashiwagi came through to lead the Aisin SeaHorses past the Toyota Alvark with a 69-67 victory in Game 1 of the their NBL playoff semifinal series at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 on Saturday.
Aisin, the reigning league champion, needs one more win to advance to the NBL Finals. The series will resume on Sunday afternoon at the same venue for Game 2.
Hasegawa, who was acquired by the SeaHorses before this season after playing for the NBDL's Otsuka Corporation Alphas for three seasons, nailed 4 of 7 3-point shots and posted a team-high 14 points for the Aichi Prefecture-based club. Kashiwagi, a former MVP in the JBL (the NBL's predecessor), made some key shots, racking up eight points.