The Tokyo Cinq Reves won three of their first five games this season. It appeared to be a positive sign for the third-year franchise, which went 18-34 in 2012-13 and 13-39 last season.

Since then, the team, led by third-year bench boss Motofumi Aoki, has made a dramatic nosedive.

The Gunma Crane Thunders defeated Tokyo 79-71 on Sunday. It was the Cinq Reves' 17th consecutive loss.

Andre Murray scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting and Carlos Dixon had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Crane Thunders (11-19). Melvin Ely, a former NBA center, contributed 10 points and six rebounds, while Daniel Northern Jr. had a nine-point outing in Annaka, Gunma Prefecture.

Newcomer Zane Knowles paced Tokyo (4-28) with 17 points. Will Foster added 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Akihito Inoue scored nine points.

Five Arrows 74, Hannaryz 66

In Soja, Okayama Prefecture, Takamatsu capitalized on its visits to the free-throw line in a bounce-back victory over Kyoto.

The Five Arrows (10-22) made 16 of 17 shots at the charity stripe.

Dexter Lyons and Andrais Thornton paced Takamatsu with 13 points apiece. Thornton grabbed 10 rebounds.

Koki Yabuuchi scored 10 points for the Five Arrows, who hosted the series, and Justin Watts and B.J. Puckett both had eight.

Takamatsu held the Hannaryz to 35.6 percent shooting from 2-point range.

Ryan Forehan-Kelly led Kyoto (26-6) with 15 points and David Palmer had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Shun Watanuki finished with 11 points, while Kevin Kotzur and Takuya Komoda both had seven.

Lakestars 90, Susanoo Magic 72

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Jeff Parmer's 28-point, 10-rebound effort keyed Shiga's win in the series finale.

Held to six points and three rebounds in the Lakestars' loss on Saturday, Parmer's inspired performance helped his club salvage a series split.

Parmer was 13-for-15 at the free-throw line on Sunday, setting season highs in both free-throw attempts and makes.

Ray Nixon poured in 18 points for Shiga (19-11), Masahiro Kano scored 13 points and Terrance Woodbury had 10.

Joe Chapman had a team-high 25 points for Shimane (11-21), including 5-for-10 from the 3-point arc. Edward Yamamoto scored 14 points, Bingo Morriex chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds and Tatsuhiro Yokoo added 10 points for the Susanoo Magic.

Big Bulls 69, Northern Happinets 68

In Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, in a showdown of Eastern Conference heavyweights, Big Bulls coach Dai Oketani's club recovered from a 23-point loss in the series opener and defeated Akita by the slimmest of margins.

Sharpshooter Wayne Arnold canned five 3-pointers in a 19-point afternoon for Iwate (26-6) and Lawrence Blackledge contributed 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Scootie Randall finished with 12 points and eight boards and Masato Tsukino dished out a team-high four assists.

The Big Bulls hauled in 19 offensive boards and held a 49-44 overall advantage in rebounds.

Iwate held the Northern Happinets to 5-for-21 shooting from beyond the arc.

Richard Roby led Akita (28-6) with 19 points, Shigehiro Taguchi scored 12 and Akitomo Takeno had 10 points, five assists and five steals. Ruben Boykin pulled down 13 rebounds.

Albirex BB 73, Wat's 69

In Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, Russell Carter scored 17 points and Stephan Van Treese and Patrick Sullivan both had 14 as Niigata topped the Wat's.

The Albirex (20-12), who dropped the series opener, also got 10 points from Yuichi Ikeda.

Gordon Klaiber had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Aomori (17-15) and Paul Williams supplied 14 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. Yuki Yamaguchi added 10 points, while Kenichi Takahashi and Satoshi Ishitani scored nine and seven, respectively.

Firebonds 89, Grouses 87

In Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture, Verdell Jones III's 29-point, eight-assist performance guided the Firebonds past Toyama.

Terrance Shannon notched a double-double (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Masaya Karimata scored 18 points for Fukushima (10-22), which avenged Saturday's 13-point loss to the Grouses.

For Toyama (23-9), Masashi Joho drained five 3-pointers in a 23-point game, and Sam Willard had 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Joe Werner chipped in with 13 points and 11 boards, Jamelle Horne scored 12 points and Tatsunori Fujie added 11.

89ers 85, Brave Warriors 69

In Chikuma, Nagano Prefecture, Kejuan Johnson's 23-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance ignited Sendai to an impressive victory over Shinshu.

Jeral Davis and Adrian Moss both posted 15 points and seven rebounds for the 89ers (20-12), while Davis also blocked three shots. Teammates Takehiko Shimura and Yasuhiko Wada both scored eight points.

Guard/forward Junki Kano, playing in his sixth game for the Brave Warriors, scored a season-high 18 points, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range. DeVaughn Washington finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and Patrick Sanders had 11 points.

Golden Kings 82, Phoenix 63

In Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, DePaul University product Draelon Burns scored a team-high 22 points and the defending champions converted 61.1 percent of their 2-point shots to earn a weekend split against Hamamatsu.

Kibwe Trim had 13 points and Ryuichi Kishimoto scored 10 for Ryukyu (27-5). Anthony McHenry contributed nine points, eight rebounds and three steals and Morihisa Yamauchi matched McHenry's scoring total.

Mo Charlo paced the Phoenix (26-6) with 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Nile Murry and Olu Ashaolu scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Tasuku Namizato added six points for the Phoenix, who shot 6-for-25 from beyond the arc.

HeatDevils 86, Bambitious 72

In Oita, big man Todd O'Brien's 25-point, 21-rebound performance lifted the HeatDevils to their second victory in as many days.

HeatDevils veteran forward Kazuya "J." Hatano, a member of the Osaka Evessa's three title-winning teams (2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08), scored a season-high 14 points and Drew Barham had 12, while Taishiro Shimizu netted 11. Demetri McCamey added nine points and six assists for Oita (12-20).

For Nara (10-22), James Rahon had 15 points, Tatsuya Suzuki scored 12 points and doled out five assists and Taishi Kasahara finished with 12 points. Chehales Tapscott had a 10-point effort.

Evessa 82, Rizing 74

In Fukuoka, Shota Konno and Josh Dollard had 19 points apiece and Osaka handed the Rizing their fifth straight loss.

Seth Tarver, Takuya Soma and Shunki Hatakeyama all scored 11 points for the Evessa (19-13).

Hatakeyama energized Osaka with his defense — five steals, to be precise. Gary Hamilton snatched nine rebounds for the visitors.

John Humphrey was the high scorer (34 points) for Fukuoka. He was 12-for-28 from the floor, but 11-for-21 from inside the arc, and 9-for-10 at the line. Josh Peppers added 19 points and Cyrus Tate had 12 points and 11 rebounds. The rest of the team scored nine points.

The Rizing fell to 7-25, the worst record in the 10-team West.