For the Chiba Jets Funabashi, their 42nd victory of the season in game No. 55 was a hard-earned triumph on Sunday. It was a win that wasn't determined until the final buzzer sounded.
In succession, Josh Harrellson and Leo Vendrame missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds as the Sunrockers Shibuya dropped a 71-67 decision at Aoyama Gakuin University Memorial Hall. Vendrame's 3-point attempt came after small forward Yusei Sugiura grabbed an offensive rebound with 5 seconds to play and fed the ball to Vendrame to give the hosts another shot at cutting the deficit.
In the end, though, Chiba's formidable defense proved too much for the hosts to overcome. The Jets came up with eight blocked shots, three apiece by Michael Parker and Leo Lyons, one by Aki Chambers and one more from Gavin Edwards. Their alert, intelligent rim-protection skills limited Shibuya's chances around the basket and preserved their slim lead down the stretch.