Simple mathematics paid off for the visiting Tochigi Brex on Thursday night.
Coach Tom Wisman’s squad outscored the Levanga Hokkaido in each of the four quarters in the series opener.
The result? An 85-71 win for the Brex at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center.
Tochigi (6-1) led 20-18 after one quarter and 39-29 at halftime. The Brex then took a 58-47 advantage into the final stanza.
Brex big man Ryan Rossiter, a Siena (New York) College product, finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Takatoshi Furukawa chipped in with 12 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Jeff Gibbs came off the bench for 11 points and seven boards plus two steals and a block in 22-plus minutes and floor leader Yuta Tabuse added nine points and three assists. Frontcourt veteran Kosuke Takeuchi had six points and eight rebounds.
Tochigi converted 59.5 percent of its shots from inside the 3-point arc. From the foul line, the Brex sank 14 of 24 attempts.
The visitors out-rebounded Hokkaido 42-30.
Center Daniel Miller, a 211-cm Georgia Tech alum, paced the Levanga (3-4) with 24 points. Daisuke Noguchi had a 13-point night, Takehiko Orimo scored 11 points and Brian Fitzpatrick had 10. Point guard Ryota Sakurai, who scored two points, finished with eight rebounds and eight assists.
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