MONTREAL – The Vermont Frost Heaves picked up where they left off last season, earning a 98-82 win over the Montreal Royal in the American Basketball Association opener on Friday.

Issa Konare, a member of the 2007 ABA champion Frost Heaves, led Vermont with 16 points, while newcomers Dokun Akingbade (15 points), Erik Nelson (15 points) and Terrance Green (14 points) rounded out the double-digit scoring for 1-0 Vermont.

Green provided a tremendous boost off the bench as the 6-foot-3 point guard closed out both the first and second quarters with buzzer-beating three-pointers.

"I think the guys did a great job on the areas that we've been practicing," Vermont coach Will Voigt said. "Defensively we were very, very good. Unfortunately, we let up a little during the stretch. If we had rebounded better, we could have had them in the low 50s. The areas where we struggled are areas we haven't had a chance to adjust in practice yet."

The 0-1 Royal were led by Cordell Jeanty with 20 points and Quilninious Randall with 13 points.

Montreal took a brief 2-0 lead, but Vermont answered immediately and never looked back.

The Frost Heaves return to the Barre Auditorium on Thursday to host the Royal in a 7:05 p.m. tip off.