Kobe Paras and Niigata Albirex BB fell short in the end game against the defending B.League champions. (c) B.LEAGUE
Kobe Paras and Niigata Albirex BB stayed toe to toe with the defending champions, but ultimately fell 88-83 to the Chiba Jets on Sunday at the Funabashi Arena.
It was another painful loss for Niigata who have now dropped 11 consecutive games in the 2021-22 B.League season.
After scoring only two points in their 88-62 defeat to Chiba on Saturday, Paras put up 15 points on an efficient 6-of-8 clip this time around, along with four assists and three rebounds.
Rosco Allen flirted with a triple-double, tallying 26 points, nine rebounds, and six dimes.
But their efforts weren't enough as the defending champion Jets clawed their way back from an early 14-point deficit, then showed their poise in the end game to pull out the victory.
Shuta Hara broke an 81-all tie with a layup at the 1:25 mark, and after a missed jumper by Allen, Chiba made them pay through a Christopher Smith three-pointer that gave the Jets an 86-81 lead with 52 seconds left.
Jeff Ayres cut the deficit to three points, 86-83, when he scored a layup with 11 seconds left, but two free throws by Yuki Togashi allowed Chiba to escape with the slim win.
Niigata dropped to 2-12 in the season, the worst record in the league. Chiba, meanwhile, improved to 10-4.
Paras and Niigata will play again on December 4 against the Akita Northern Happinets.