The SeaHorses Mikawa clung to a one-point in the closing seconds of overtime against the visiting Osaka Evessa on Thursday night.
Mikawa escaped with an 84-83 triumph after Osaka's Shota Konno and Takuya Hashimoto both missed jump shots in the final 9 seconds of OT.
Former NBA forward J.R. Sakuragi led the SeaHorses (22-6) with 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting. The 40-year-old, a UCLA alum, finished with 11 rebounds and four assists in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture. He was 6-for-9 at the free-throw line. He's averaging 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 28 games.
Makoto Hiejima added 19 points and six assists and Gavin Edwards supplied a double-double (16 points, 11 boards) for Mikawa. Isaac Butts had eight points and 11 rebounds.
The SeaHorses shot 61.4 percent (27 of 44) from inside the 3-point arc. They outrebounded the visitors 52-38.
Osaka's Richard Roby drained an outside jumper with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter, tying it up at 75-75 and sending the game into OT.
Roby, who had a 12-point outing, struggled with his shot. He was 5 of 19 from the field.
For the Evessa (16-14), ex-NBA and University of Kentucky big man Josh Harrellson had a game-high 28 points. Harrellson made 7 of 13 3-point attempts. He had 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Hashimoto contributed 15 points and seven boards, while Takuya Soma added 11 points.
Osaka overcame a 43-29 halftime deficit to force overtime.
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