Kobe Paras and Niigata lost their first game with Kyoto, but with a rematch, Niigata came out victorious.

Filipino winger, Paras only saw 27:12 minutes of action and delivered 10 points after shooting 5-of-14 from the field combined with two rebounds.

Even though the Asian Filipino import of Niigata’s record was relatively small compared to his 25 points debut score, Paras steered the team to overcome a five-point deficit, 73-68, with three minutes left in the game.

Paras fired a jumper, but David Simon answered back with a dunk giving a 75-70 lead in favor of Kyoto.

With 1:26 minutes left, Paras quickly retaliated and gave another drive to keep the score at bay and now at 75-72, still in favor of Kyoto.

By a dint of Tshilidzi Nephawe’s jumper, Kyoto was only ahead by a one-point lead with 54 ticks remaining in the game. 

Kyoto’s defense continued to weaken within the last few seconds of the game until Niigata took the win after Nephawe’s two-point jumper.

Nohmi was also a big help as he delivered 16 points while Rosco Allen scored 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds, and Jeff Ayres and Zen Endo both scored 10 apiece.

Paras and Niigata will be facing San-En NeoPhoenix (1-1), Thirdy Ravena’s team on Saturday for a two-game series at Hamamatsu Arena.