AJ Edu, Gunma dominate Dwight Ramos' Levanga in B.League Manila Games

AJ Edu got the better of his Gilas Pilipinas teammate as the Gunma Crane Thunders dominated the Levanga Hokkaido, 98-81, in the B.League Manila Games opener on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Just days removed from their team-up in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4 last August 30, Edu and Ramos now found themselves on the opposite sides of the court with the 6-foot-10 center emerging victorious.

Edu got the starter role and finished with three points, seven rebounds, and dour assists in almost 26 minutes of action as American import Stanley Johnson led the way with 23 markers alongside five boards and three dimes.

Trey Jones and Yuma Fujii chipped in 16 and 14 markers.

A 29-point explosion in the opening period set the tone for Gunma before Koh Flippin completed a three-point play to end the first half and gave his side a 54-40 cushion.

Edu completed his own three-point play in the third period to send Gunma to a 69-53 lead before Kenny Asano hit a layup off an inbound pass from Fujii to stretch their lead to 81-60.

Levanga managed to fight back in the fourth, trimming the deficit to just 17 after a triple from Yuta Osaki, 77-91, but Gunma hung tough to preserve its lead as Takuto Nakamura sealed the deal with a long three-pointer in the final 10 seconds.

Ramos had 13 points in the loss while Keisei Tominaga starred with 19 markers.

Edu and Ramos will once again lock horns on Thursday for the Game 2 of the preseason showcase.

—JKC, GMA News