With star forward Ryan Kelly given the day off to rest after games on Wednesday and Saturday, the Sunrockers Shibuya relied on the contributions of Faye Samba and Markhuri Sanders-Frison to fill the void on Sunday afternoon.
Sure, Sunrockers coach Tsutomu Isa's team could have used Kelly's all-around talents, including his scoring prowess (a team-leading 19.7 points per game) in its rematch against the visiting Akita Northern Happinets. But Shibuya utilized an effective combination of hustle, timely baskets and solid defense to beat Akita 69-62.
The Sunrockers (18-20) got a team-high 20 points from former Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Sacre and 17 from elusive guard Leo Vendrame, including seven in the fourth quarter, at Aoyama Gakuin University Memorial Hall.