Center Lucius Davis scored a game-high 29 points Monday to lead the Isuzu GigaCats to a 79-61 victory over the Toshiba Red Thunders in the final of the men's national basketball championship.
Isuzu guard Kenichi Sako and forward Michael Takahashi each had 12 points in the game at Yoyogi National Gymnasium annex in Tokyo, combining with Davis to help the GigaCats claim their sixth national title and first in two years.
Isuzu, bidding to reclaim the championship wrested by Toshiba last year after a two-year reign, stifled Toshiba with a tight defense while building up an 18-2 lead on its way to a 34-24 cushion after the first half.
After the interval, Isuzu stretched the lead to 15 points with 10 minutes remaining as Toshiba's hopes to complete a league and national championship double faded.
"Our players felt they were humiliated after finishing last season empty-handed. The team worked perfectly in today's final, with the defense at its best," Isuzu head coach Mototaka Kohama said.