The Akita Northern Happinets have rattled off 16 victories in their past 17 games.

What's more, first-year bench boss Makoto Hasegawa's team now has a jaw-dropping 16-2 record in road games after a 97-74 dismantling of the Iwate Big Bulls on Saturday afternoon.

Akita, the bj-league championship runnerup a year ago to the Ryukyu Golden Kings, outscored Iwate 56-32 in the second half.

"Our defense is good and continues to get better and we have a lot of options and weapons on offense," Happinets forward Ruben Boykin told The Japan Times. "With the addition of (post player) Travon (Bryant) and the guys on our team continuing to get better each week on offense and defense it makes us a tough team."

Why are the Happinets (28-5 overall) so dangerous on the road?

"Our fans," Akita forward Deshawn Stephens said after the game in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture. "Our fans are extremely supportive and travel wherever we go. It gives us a home feeling no matter where we are."

Stephens scored a game-high 29 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the floor and hauled in nine rebounds. Teammate Richard Roby had a splendid all-around game, providing 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.

Akitomo Takeno contributed 13 points and eight assists for the Happinets, who out-rebounded Iwate 46-33. Shigehiro Taguchi scored 10 points and Bryant had nine points and nine boards in Akita's fourth straight win.

For the Big Bulls (25-6), Scootie Randall was the top scorer with 26 points and Lawrence Blackledge finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Hayato Kantake and Shota Onodera each had eight points.

B-Corsairs 75, Broncos 68

In Yokohama, Masayuki Kabaya bounced back from a poor performance in the series opener to ignite the B-Corsairs, who earned a series split against Saitama.

Kabaya drained 4 of 8 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points on Saturday, a day after being held to six points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Warren Niles added 15 points for Yokohama (8-24) and big man Wayne Marshall had 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Dzaflo Larkai chipped in with 10 points and Carl Hall scored nine.

Saitama trailed 21-11 after one quarter and 43-25 at the break.

Gary Johnson paced the Broncos (3-29) with 21 points.

Nyika Williams added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Saitama, which had won its past two games. Koji Nagata finished with nine points.

HeatDevils 73, Bambitious 64

In Oita, Demetri McCamey buried four 3s in a 17-point performance and Kellen Thornton had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the hosts.

Todd O'Brien chipped in with 16 points and nine rebounds for the HeatDevils (11-20), who led 37-30 at halftime.

Veteran guard Taishiro Shimizu added nine points for Oita,while Naoto Takushi scored eight.

Chehales Tapscott paced Nara (10-21) with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Taishi Kasahara scored 14 points. Newcomer James Rahon, a San Diego State product, had nine points in his first game with the team. Ex-University of Kentucky big man Jared Carter scored eight points off the bench.

Crane Thunders 81, Cinq Reves 73

In Annaka, Gunma Prefecture, Carlos Dixon's 30-point, four-steal effort sparked the hosts in the series opener against struggling Tokyo, which lost for the 16th consecutive game.

Andre Murray poured in 22 points in his first game with the Crane Thunders (10-19). Former NBA center Melvin Ely had 11 points and eight rebounds and Daniel Northern Jr. supplied seven points and 10 rebounds. Masashi Obuchi matched Northern's scoring total.

Jemal Farmer led the Cinq Reves (4-27) with 23 points and Zane Knowles had a 12-point, 12-rebound effort in his Tokyo debut. Isamu Omori scored nine points, while Will Foster contributed eight points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Wat's 80, Albirex BB 70

In Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, Yuki Kitamuki's 15-point night and 12 points apiece from Gordon Klaiber and Gyno Pomare carried the Wat's to a win over Niigata.

Pomare grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Aomori guard Kenichi Takahashi scored 11 points, Satoshi Ishitani had nine and big man Paul Williams added eight points and 11 boards for the Wat's (17-14).

For the Albirex (19-12), Russell Carter had a team-best 19 points and Thomas Kennedy scored 17. Yuichi Ikeda finished with 12 points and Patrick Sullivan provided 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Niigata shot 16-for-49 (32.7 percent) from 2-point range and at a 25-percent clip (6-for-24) from beyond the arc.

Grouses 101, Firebonds 88

In Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture, reigning regular-season MVP Masashi Joho scored 23 points and Jamelle Horne contributed 21 as Toyama rolled past the hosts.

Toyama's Joe Werner scored 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting and teammate Takeshi Mito added 13. Sam Willard chipped in with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Tatsunori Fujie dished out eight assists.

The Grouses (23-8) sealed the victory at the free-throw line, converting 16 of 20 shots.

Verdell Jones III led Fukushima (9-22) with 27 points and nine assists and Shinya Murakami knocked down four 3s in an 18-point performance. Terrance Shannon had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season.

Brave Warriors 86, 89ers 83

In Chikuma, Nagano Prefecture, Patrick Sanders had 32 points and Mohamed Abukar added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to guide Shinshu past East rival Sendai.

DeVaughn Washington scored 12 points and raked in 11 rebounds and Shoji Nakanishi had 11 points for the Brave Warriors (13-16).

Kejuan Johnson paced the 89ers (19-12) with 33 points along with 10 boards and six steals. Adrian Moss had 17 points and pulled down 10 boards for the visitors.

Jeral Davis added 10 points and seven rebounds and Takehiko Shimura had seven points and five assists.

Evessa 79, Rizing 66

In Fukuoka, Seth Tarver's 22 points and Shota Konno's 18 sparked Osaka to a triumph over the Rizing.

Josh Dollard added 13 points for the Evessa (18-13), while Takuya Soma scored eight and Jon Kreft six.

Kirk Van Slyke and John "Helicopter" Humphrey both scored 16 points for Fukuoka, which faced a 41-24 deficit entering the third quarter. Josh Peppers added 14 points.

Humphrey, a four-time league scoring champion, came off the bench in his first game for the Rizing, playing 25 minutes, 50 seconds. He shot 5-for-16 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the line, and had four rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block, a turnover and three fouls.

The Rizing fell to 7-24, losing their fourth straight game under new coach Joe Bryant, who guided the club to a two-point win over Shimane in his first game in charge on Jan. 17.

Phoenix 74, Golden Kings 67

In Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, in a matchup of West heavyweights, Hamamatsu prevailed over the reigning champions in the series opener before a spirited crowd of 3,568.

The Phoenix (26-5) outscored the Golden Kings 43-30 over the middle two periods.

Hamamatsu drained 13 of 28 3-pointeres, with eight players making at least one 3, including Shinnosuke Oishi's 3-for-4 effort (nine total points).

Mo Charlo paced the Phoenix with 16 points, Olu Ashaolu had 13 points and nine rebounds and Jermaine Green and Nile Murry both scored 10 points. Tasuku Namizato handed out five assists.

Ryukyu (26-5) had four double-digit scorers: Ryuichi Kishimoto (13 points), Anthony McHenry and Kibwe Trim (12 apiece) and Draelon Burns (10). Narito Namizato, Tasuku's younger brother, had an eight-point outing.

Hannaryz 87, Five Arrows 66

In Soja, Okayama Prefecture, Kyoto crashed the boards and that relentless pursuit of rebounds paid off in a commanding victory over Takamatsu.

The Hannaryz (26-5) raked in 53 rebounds and held the hosts to 37.

David Palmer led Kyoto in scoring (19 points) and rebounds (nine) and Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 16 points. Kevin Kotzur chipped in with 14 points and eight boards and Takuya Komoda had 10 points, while Shun Watanuki scored eight.

For the Five Arrows (9-22), Andrais Thornton scored 18 points and Koki Yabuuchi had 14. Justin Watts and Tsubasa Yonezawa each scored nine.

Susanoo Magic 83, Lakestars 65

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Isiah Brown scored 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting and Edward Yamamoto had 17 points and six assists for the resurgent Susanoo Magic.

Led by coach Tomohiro Moriyama, Shimane (11-20) has won eight of its last 10 games.

Joe Chapman scored 16 points and Bingo Morriex had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic. Wesley Witherspoon finished with nine points and five steals.

For Shiga (18-11), Terrance Woodbury scored 18 points, Chris Holm had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Ray Nixon added 10 points.