By JONAS TERRADO
Thirdy Ravena and the San-En Neophoenix couldn’t end their slide in the Japan B.League after absorbing a 94-87 road loss to the Shiga Lakestars Saturday in Otsu, Japan.
Unable to sustain a 9-point lead in the third quarter, the Neophoenix suffered their suffer their seventh straight defeat – no thanks to the hot-shooting of former NBA player Jordan Hamilton.
Ravena scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three rebounds and two steals but his efforts were not enough as San-En dropped to 11-41 with eight games left in the season.
He also had to leave the game with 1:28 to go in the fourth quarter after his head was inadvertently elbowed by Hamilton during an inbound play.
San-En looked poised to arrest the skid and hand Ravena his first victory since returning from a fractured right finger when it led 55-48 on a basket by import Kyle Hunt with under eight minutes left in the third.
But Shiga inched its way back to take a 67-66 lead entering the fourth before Hamilton sizzled for 17 points in the fourth.
Two back-to-back threes by Hamilton allowed the Lakestars to take a 90-81 lead with 2:22 to go in the fourth quarter.
Hamilton, who played for the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans, finished with 34 points, six rebounds and 11 assists as Shiga improved to 18-32.
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