With Thirdy Ravena who is yet to secure his Japanese visa, Serbian imports Stevan Jelovac and Nenad Miljenovic, and head coach Branislav Vićentić still undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine, San-En NeoPhoenix still struggles to earn its first win in the 2020-2021 Japanese B.League.

Leading by two entering the fourth quarter, the home team shot a horrendous 4-of-14 clip in the closing frame as NeoPhoenix was outscored by Mikawa, 23 to 13, to put the game out of reach.

San-En standout Takanobu Nishikawa still showed stellar performance during the match, who led the charge with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Moreover, veteran center Atsuya Ota scored 12 points and 7 boards while the 6-foot-1 pro-baller Hayato Kawashima contributed 10 points and 8 assists in the defeat.

Meanwhile, SeaHorses led the match with the help of American import Davante Gardne, who chipped in 24 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks, while Mikawa’s resident guard had 14 points, three assists, and two boards in the win.

The loss kept San-EN at the bottom of the season’s standing at 0-3, with the second of its two-game homestand against Mikawa slated on Sunday.

San-En suffered back-to-back losses against Chiba Jets with 83-65 on their opening match and a 103-54 huge defeat in their second match.