Shun Watanuki scored 20 points for the second day in a row, converting 8 of 10 shots from the field, and the Kyoto Hannaryz clamped down on the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings in the second quarter, holding them to seven points in the period.

It all added up to a 75-64 bounce-back victory for the Hannaryz in Muko, Kyoto Prefecture.

Ryan Forehan-Kelly added 16 points and Kevin Kotzur contributed 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Kyoto (7-1), which took 34 free-throw attempts. David Palmer had 10 points and two blocks in the win. Swingman Shingo Utsumi poured in nine points for coach Honoo Hamaguchi's squad.

Ryuichi Kishimoto paced Ryukyu (6-2) with 16 points, Anthony McHenry scored 15 with five assists, and Draelon Burns and Kibwe Trim had 10 apiece, while Hiromasa Omiya finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

Kyoto outscored Ryukyu 40-19 in the second and fourth quarters.

After the game, Kotzur reflected on what the Hannaryz did to close out the weekend with a win.

"We knew coming into the game that we had to play team basketball," Kotzur told The Japan Times. "We adjusted on the mistakes we were making yesterday and got more movement in our offense, we were also more aggressive attacking the rim, which caused some foul trouble on their part."

He also admitted he was satisfied with the team's performance and his contributions on Sunday.

"I am always pleased to be able to win against a good team," said Kotzur. "I am more pleased with the win than anything else, I came into the game just deciding to be more aggressive on the glass and just to provide energy for my team. That is my main role."

Phoenix 77, Rizing 60

In Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Mo Charlo had a team-high 23 points and fellow Hamamatsu newcomer Olu Ashaolu contributed 11 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists as the hosts completed a series sweep over Fukuoka.

Tasuku Namizato scored 12 points and Masahiro Oguchi and Nile Murry both had eight for the Phoenix (7-1).

For the Rizing (2-6), Josh Peppers was the leading scorer with 17 points and Cohey Aoki had 15. Cooper Land added 10 points.

Fukuoka turned the ball over 22 times.

Hamamatsu out-rebounded the visitors 41-31.

Grouses 95, Brave Warriors 80

In Imizu, Toyama Prefecture, Masashi Joho, one of the league's enduring stars, thrilled the home fans with a 33-point, five-assist afternoon, leading the Grouses to a victory over Shinshu and a sweep.

Toyama (7-1) shot 30-for-57 (52.6 percent) from inside the arc, and coach Bob Nash's squad improved to 3-1 at home.

Joho sank six 3-pointers and went 5-for-7 on 2-point attempts. He was 5-for-5 at the foul line before fouling out.

Tatsunori Fujie and Jamelle Horne each scored 14 points for the Grouses, Sam Willard had 11 points and 15 rebounds plus four assists and Joe Werner pumped in 10 points.

Toyama collected 23 offensive rebounds and held a 55-42 overall advantage on the boards.

The Grouses scored 28 points in both the opening and closing quarters.

Carl Hall notched a double-double (23 points, 11 rebounds) for the Brave Warriors (2-4), Patrick Sanders scored 18 and Mohamed Abukar had 14. Shoji Nakanishi supplied 12 points and Takato Saito dished out 10 assists.

Shinshu missed 16 of 21 3-pointers.

Evessa 73, Susanoo Magic 70

In Osaka, Joshua Dollard's team-high 24 points and three steals and Jon Kreft's 20-point game sparked the Evessa to their second victory in as many days over Shimane.

Kreft set up shop at the free-throw line and calmly sank all 12 of hits shots there. (The Magic, on the other hand, made just nine in the 40-minute contest.)

Takuma Soma scored 10 points and Seth Tarver had nine for Osaka (4-4).

Joe Chapman knocked down six 3s in a 25-point effort for Shimane (0-8). Tatsuhiro Yokoo and Edward Yamamoto scored 17 and 10 points, respectively. Isiah Brown led the club with 10 rebounds.

Big Bulls 75, B-Corsairs 72

In Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture, Iwate crashed the boards with reckless abandon and physically overpowered Yokohama in the process, which led to a narrow victory, the team's sixth straight.

Led by Lawrence's Blackledge's six offensive boards, the Big Bulls (7-1) dominated that phase of the game, pulling down 30 off the offensive glass and holding the hosts to 12.

Scootie Randall put a team-high 23 points on the board and hauled in 12 rebounds for the Big Bulls, Wayne Arnold scored 18 and Blackledge added 12 along with eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. Masato Tsukino scored nine points and Tsubasa Yonamine chalked up five assists.

Warren Niles scored 21 points for the B-Corsairs (3-5), Kenji Yamada had 13 and Wayne Marshall 12.

Wat's 76, Cinq Reves 57

In Tachikawa, Gyno Pomare's 13-point, 11-rebound, five-block effort played a pivotal role in Aomori's victory over Tokyo.

The Wat's (6-2) shot 21-for-60 from inside the arc and were out-rebounded 63-49 on the afternoon, but found a way to prevail.

Aomori center Paul Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Satoshi Ishitani scored 13 points with three big 3s and Damian Saunders chipped in with 12 points, three steals and two blocks.

Cinq Reves center Will Foster had 11 points, 28 rebounds (two shy of the league record shared by Jeff Newton, Chris Holm and Kirby Lemons) and five blocks.

Jemal Farmer led Tokyo (3-5) with 16 points and Yuji Ide and Isamu Omori both scored 10.

89ers 103, Broncos 50

In Sendai, Kejuan Johnson rang up 25 points with ease and four teammates reached double figures in scoring as the 89ers overwhelmed Saitama.

The Broncos (0-8) trailed 88-35 after three quarters.

Wendell White finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Fumiya Sato scored 14 for Sendai (5-3), while DeAngelo Hamilton had 13 points and 11 boards and Adrian Moss provided 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Sendai won the battle on the boards by a 60-34 margin.

Gary Johnson led Saitama with 17 points.

Northern Happinets 98, Crane Thunders 82

In Akita, Deshawn Stephens scored 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting and Richard Roby had 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Northern Happinets rolled past Gunma.

Guards Shigehiro Taguchi and Akitomo Takeno contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively for Akita (6-2).

Takeno went 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and has made 10 of 13 in the past three games. He also dished out eight assists.

Happinets big man Tyran Walker, a Wake Forest product, came off the bench and grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots in just under 20 minutes, with five points for good measure.

Carlos Dixon had 14 points for the Crane Thunders (0-8), Kenya Tomori scored 12 and Marcus Morrison, Melvin Ely and Masanobu Ito all had 11.

Five Arrows 81, HeatDevils 67

In Bungo-ono Oita Prefecture, B.J. Puckett's game-high 23 points and Andrais Thornton's 13 helped Takamatsu salvage a series split.

Masaaki Suzuki was 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 at the line on a perfect shooting day (he didn't attempt a 2-pointer) for 11 points and ex-University of North Carolina player Justin Watts had 10 points for the Five Arrows (3-5). Dexter Lyons handed out five assists.

Kellen Thornton had 21 points for Oita (2-6) and Taishiro Shimizu scored 14.

Albirex BB 82, Firebonds 75

In Niigata, Thomas Kennedy's 25 points and a free-flowing offense proved problematic for Fukushima, which lost its sixth straight game.

Yuki Sato scored 14 points, Hirotaka Kondo had 12 points and six assists and Patrick Sullivan added 10 points for Niigata (6-2). Stephan Van Treese grabbed 10 rebounds.

Verdell Jones III was the Firebonds' top scorer with 24 points. Masaya Karimata had 15 points and five assists and Edward Morris scored 10 points with six assists for Fukushima (1-7), an expansion team.