Head coach Bill Cartwright has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the Osaka Evessa basketball team.
Taking over a team that was 5-19 when he was hired on Jan. 21, the Evessa are now only five games below .500. They won their 10th straight game on Saturday, bulldozing the hapless Akita Northern Happinets in an 86-51 decision in Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture.
Ten Evessa players put points on the board in the series opener, with Dwayne Lathan leading the way with a 20-point performance. Mike Bell added 12 poitns and a game-high 16 rebounds. Taizo Kawabe scored 10 points, Shota Konno had nine, Rick Rickert added eight points with 11 boards for Osaka (20-25). Nathan Walkup also scored eight points and Satoshi Takeda had seven. Masashi Obuchi dished out eight assists with no turnovers.