The Kawasaki Brave Thunders didn¡¯t help their cause at the free-throw line during portions of Friday¡¯s series opener against the Toyama Grouses.

But it came down to free throws in the final minute, and center Nick Fazekas nailed 3 of 4 down the stretch as the Brave Thunders defeated the Grouses 74-72 at Todoroki Arena.

Toyama¡¯s Naoki Uto missed a 3-point shot with 1 second remaining.

Kawasaki improved to 7-2; Toyama fell to 1-8.

The Brave Thunders were 14-for-22 at the foul line.

Fazekas, a University of Nevada alum, had a game-best 32 points. He grabbed 11 rebounds and made 10 of 13 free-throw attempts. Ryan Spangler added 11 points and 10 boards for the Brave Thunders, who trailed 36-32 at halftime. University of Delaware product Mamadou Diouf contributed 10 points and seven rebounds for the hosts, while Naoto Tsuji had nine points and six assists.

Kawasaki grabbed momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 24-12 and taking a 56-48 advantage into the final period.

The Grouses did, however, overcome the hosts¡¯ 17-0 run to start the half, mounting a strong spurt of their own, with Masashi Joho¡¯s basket cutting that margin to eight late in the quarter.

In the fourth, big man Sam Willard¡¯s putback gave Toyama a 72-69 lead with 1:53 to play.

Diouf answered with an inside bucket to pull his team within one, setting the stage for Fazekas¡¯ game-deciding free throws.

Earl Barron paced the Grouses with 17 points and had eight rebounds. Joho scored 16 points and Willard finished with 13 and hauled in 12 boards (seven offensive rebounds). Yu Okada added eight points and two steals and Uto chipped in with eight points and eight assists with no turnovers.

Both teams had 39 rebounds in the 40-minute showdown.

In second-division action on Friday night, the visiting Shimane Susanoo Magic defeated the Kagawa Five Arrows 93-67. Ryan Reid and Josh Davis scored 19 and 17 points, respectively, for Shimane. Chehales Tapscott led Kagawa with 14 points.