The Kanazawa Samuraiz built an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter en route to a 121-81 victory over the host Hiroshima Lightning on Thursday night in the bj-league in a series-opening matchup of expansion teams.
The Lightning (1-8) trailed 66-29 at halftime.
Andrew Fitzgerald paced the Samuraiz (4-5) with 24 points and Tsubasa Yonamine had 23 on 9-for-12 shooting. Marshall Brown chipped in with 22 points, while Gyno Pomare had 17 points and 11 boards. Kanazawa shot 70.5 percent (48-for-68) from the floor.