The Shiga Lakestars, vying to return to the Final Four for the second straight season, held off the defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix on Saturday, winning 96-94 in overtime.
Julian Mavunga, a Miami (Ohio) University alum, paced Shiga with 40 points on 12-for-21 shooting. He canned six 3-pointers in the Western Conference first-round playoff series opener.
Mavunga made 10 of 16 free throws. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Lakestars, who out-rebounded the hosts 57-40 at Hamamatsu Arena.
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