Saitama –

Yuji Ide emerged as a team catalyst for the Tokyo Cinq Reves last season.

He averaged 15.0 points per game and was named the bj-league's Most Improved Player award for the 2013-14 season, his second in the league, though he played only 54 total minutes for the Shimane Susanoo Magic the season before.

Based on his productivity last season, Tokyo coach Motofumi Aoki can expect big things from the Saitama native again this season.

So far, so good.

The 26-year-old guard sparked the Cinq Reves on Sunday against the Saitama Broncos, scoring a game-high 29 points. He drained five 3-pointers in an 84-74 win that gave Tokyo a 2-0 start on the young season.

Ide had a 15-point effort in a 15-point victory on Saturday, and his team showed poise and determination down the stretch on Sunday.

The Broncos had pulled within 68-67 with under four minutes remaining at Saitama Municipal Gymnasium. That's when Aoki's club went on an 8-0 run — capped by an Ide jumper — to seize momentum.

Ide also canned three 3-pointers in an impressive display of shooting in the third quarter, the last of which put his team ahead 61-56, its largest lead of the 10-minute period.

Saitama, which went 5-47 last season under then-coach Takatoshi "Big Bashi" Ishibashi, trailed by four after three quarters.

The Broncos traded baskets with the Cinq Reves for the first half of the fourth quarter, but they failed to consistently hit shots in crunch time. But both teams hustled and exhibited scrappy play, which entertained the lively crowd.

Jemal Farmer finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for Tokyo and center Will Foster had 11 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Michael Hart added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Tokyo attempted 25 free throws; Saitama took 12. The Cinq Reves, in fact, had 14 foul shots over the final 1:16.

Saitama's Gary Johnson had a team-high 20 points and Junya Masumoto scored 14, draining four 3s, with five assists. Brian Ormon and Jon Ekey each had 12 points and Koji Nagata chipped in with 10.

The Broncos fell behind 15-4 near the midway point of the opening quarter, then used a 12-5 spurt to shave the deficit to four points.

Tokyo led 23-19 after one quarter. The score was knotted at 40-40 at the half.

After the game, Johnson, a first-year Broncos player, said the back-to-back losses were a learning experience for his club.

"We've got to come back and work hard for next week," he said on the court, addressing the fans after the game. "We're a young team and we're trying to get better. We're a young team, but we play hard."

New Broncos coach Kazuaki Shimoji noted that it was a "high-tempo, intense game," but said his team spent too much time hoisting up shots from the outside during the third and fourth quarters. He said he wants his players to develop a more aggressive mentality during games.

Tokyo's superior rebounding (51-39) proved to be too much for the hosts to handle.

Firebonds 66, Wat's 64

In Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, the Firebonds bounced back from a season-opening loss and edged Aomori to earn the first victory in franchise history.

Terrance Shannon, a Virginia Commonwealth alum, paced Fukushima with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting with 12 rebounds. Edward Morris added 18 points and three steals for the first-year franchise and James Hughes had 10 points. Guard Masaya Karimata chipped in with six points on 1-for-11 shooting and finished with 10 assists for the second straight game.

Fukushima led 18-16 after the opening quarter, then trailed 35-31 at halftime. The Firebonds put 25 points on the board in the third stanza to pull ahead by three points entering the fourth.

Damian Saunders led the Wat's with 17 points, Kenichi Takahashi poured in 13 and Paul Williams had an 11-point, 16-rebound, four-assist effort. Daisuke Takaoka and Gyno Pomare each had eight points.

After the game, Morris described what his team accomplished in picking up victory No. 1.

"Well, it's always a good feeling to win," Morris told The Japan Times. "That's why we play, to earn wins and ultimately earn a spot in the playoffs. But winning the first won ever in franchise history is always a special moment. It's just feels good.

"Well, as you know, getting swept in a series has a big affect. So we understand the importance of getting a split. And for a bunch of young guys, they came out with the right mind set to win."

Lakestars 77, Susanoo Magic 65

In Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, a balanced attack carried the Lakestars to their second triumph in as many days against Shimane.

Shiga scored 32 fourth-quarter points to lock up the win. Terrance Woodbury's 18 points led the hosts and Yu Okada added 16 points, five assists and three steals. Ray Nixon and Jeff Parmer each had 11 points for Shiga. Chris Holm scored 10 points and raked in 16 rebounds.

James Padgett paced Shimane with 25 points and 11 boards. Teammate Edward Yamamoto had 12 points and seven assists and Satoshi Kawai scored 11 points.

Shimane coach Reggie Hanson is looking at the big picture, recognizing there's a lot of room for improvement during the 52-game season.

"We are still a work in progress," Hanson told The Japan Times on Sunday night in a post-game interview. "With nine new players it will take time to build chemistry. But I felt that our guys came out the second Shiga game and played defense like we are capable. We also did a much better job rebounding.

"Shiga is a team that (runs the) fastbreak a lot. So I thought we did a great job of making them play a half-court game.

"We have to learn to take care of the ball and finish inside," he added. "We had five turnovers and missed six layups in the fourth quarter."

"It's a long season so we just have to continue to learn every day,"

Hannaryz 76, HeatDevils 57

In Kyoto, coach Honoo Hamaguchi's squad hammered Oita to complete a weekend sweep.

Kyoto outscored the visitors 47-18 over the second and third quarters.

Hannaryz newcomer Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Shingo Utsumi each put 12 points on the board and Reggie Warren added 11. Kevin Kotzur scored 10, Takuya Komoda had nine and David Palmer and Hikaru Kusaka provided eight apiece. Floor leader Kyosuke Setoyama, who has played for Kyoto since its inception in 2009, dished out seven assists.

Todd O'Brien was Oita's high scorer with 12 points and Taishiro Shimizu added 10. Kazuya "J." Hatano finished with eight points and hauled in seven rebounds, while Manabu Umemiya matched Hatano's scoring output.

"It feels really good to get off to a good start," Warren told The Japan Times. "Winning becomes contagious, so to grab a few early is always a good thing."

Five Arrows 84, Bambitious 82

In Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, the Five Arrows' dramatic comeback — punctuated by 30 points in the final period — gave coach Kenzo Maeda's team a weekend sweep against the Bambitious.

Takamatsu big man B.J Puckett had a team-high 19 points with nine rebounds and Andrais Thornton added 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting with 13 rebounds. Justin Watts and Dexter Lyons scored 12 points apiece, with guard Koki Yabuuchi contributing 10 points and eight assists.

For Nara, Chehales Tapscott had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Other key contributors included Tatsuya Suzuki with 14 points and six assists, Michael St. John with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals and Taishi Kasahara with 11 points.

"It does feel great to be 2-0 in the first week action," Lyons, who's in his third season with the Five Arrows, told this newspaper after the game. "The keys for us coming into today's match were to play tough team defense and out-rebound the opponent."

He added: "I knew that today's game would be much (more) strategical because of adjustments made by Nara from their offensive end by being able to shoot behind the arc. We were trailing by 15 going into the fourth and won by two. So it was an early test of resilience for our team.

"Today's game was remarkable and a good sight to what we are capable of achieving."

89ers 77, Big Bulls 69

In Sendai, Fumiya Sato sank six 3-pointers in a 20-point outing and DeAngelo Hamilton had 16 points and four blocked shots to lead the hosts to their first win of the season.

Wendell White added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Sendai and point guard Takehiko Shimura scored eight points and handed out five assists. Kejuan Johnson, a Long Beach State alum, had 10 points and four steals.

Wayne Arnold and Scootie Randall scored 17 points apiece for the Big Bulls, with 15 of Arnold's points coming from 3-point range. Teammate Masato Tsukino had 12 points and five assists.

Rizing 95, Evessa 69

In Osaka, Greg Logins scored a game-high 17 points and fellow newcomers Cooper Land and Kirk Van Slyke had 14 apiece as Fukuoka avenged a season-opening loss on Saturday.

Josh Peppers finished with 13 points and five assists and Cohey Aoki and Rintaro Tokunaga had eight points apiece for the Rizing. Journeyman guard Minoru Kimura chipped in with five assists.

For Osaka, Shunki Hatakeyama had 16 points, Naoto Nakamura scored 13 and Shota Konno and Seth Tarver both poured in 11. Konno made five steals. Tarver hauled in 10 rebounds and had a team-high five assists.

Albirex BB 86, Northern Happinets 80

In Niigata, Hirotaka Kondo buried 4 of 5 3-point attempts en route to 18 points and Thomas Kennedy and Patrick Sullivan both notched double-doubles as Akita fell to 1-1 under new coach Makoto Hasegawa.

Kennedy finished with 16 points and 10 boards. Sullivan supplied 14 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in the win. Yuichi Ikeda added 15 points and Adrian Moss contributed 12 points and seven boards.

For the Happinets, Shigehiro Taguchi knocked down six 3s in a 23-point performance and Yuto Otsuka scored 17 points. Ruben Boykin (15 points, eight assists) and Richard Roby (12 points, six assists) had productive games. Big man Tyran Walker corralled 10 rebounds and swatted four shots.

B-Corsairs 87, Grouses 79

In Toyama, Warren Niles' 18-point afternoon sparked visiting Yokohama to a bounce-back win.

Dzaflo Larkai made a big impact for the B-Corsairs, finishing 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Wayne Marshall had 15 points and eight boards. Masayuki Kabaya scored 11 points and Yosuke Saito had seven points and a team-high two assists on a day when Yokohama only had five.

Masashi Joho scored 19 points for the Grouses. Sam Willard added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Tatsunori Fujie scored 14 and Takeshi Mito 11.

Phoenix 82, Golden Kings 68

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Hamamatsu Higashimikawa coach Tomoya Higashino's team converted 20 of 22 free-throw attempts and newcomer Mo Charlo shined in a rematch against Ryukyu.

Charlo had 26 points, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, with 12 rebounds and five assists. Nile Murry added 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals and Jermaine Green scored 12 points. Hiroki Furuhashi had eight points and Shinnosuke Oishi scored seven.

The Golden Kings, who shot 19-for-35 at the charity stripe, trailed 53-36 after three quarters.

Draleon Burns paced Ryukyu with 14 points and Anthony McHenry scored 12 for the defending champions. Ryuichi Kishimoto added 11 and Anthony Kent had nine. Kibwe Trim raked in 12 rebounds, while Narito Namizato registered four assists.