Though he struggled from the field (2-for-10), forward Mike Hall's two baskets proved to be a difference maker for the Shiga Lakestars in their 66-64 home win over the Osaka Evessa on Saturday.
The former BYU player put his team ahead 64-63 with 47 seconds left in the game, and coach Bob Pierce's squad held on for a two-point win against its Western Conference rival.
Ex-Evessa guard Masashi Joho, who entered the game averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game, scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds for Shiga, which improved to 5-2. Teammate Bobby Nash added 11 points, while Gary Hamilton scored seven and collected a game-best 12 rebounds.