On defense, the Kyoto Hannaryz played a tough, tenacious game.

On offense, four Kyoto players scored in double figures in a 78-58 shellacking of the host Bambitious Nara on Saturday night in the bj-league.

Kevin Kotzur's 24 points paced the Hannaryz (29-6). Ryan Forehan-Kelly added 15 points, Shun Watanuki scored 11 with five assists and David Palmer notched a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds).

Takuya Komoda added eight points for Kyoto, which led 36-23 at halftime in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture.

Chehales Tapscott paced the Bambitious (10-25) with 25 points and Jared Carter and Taishi Kasahara scored 10 apiece. Tatsuya Suzuki dished out 12 assists.

Northern Happinets 82, Albirex BB 77

In Akita, Richard Roby's double-double and strong team rebounding guided the Northern Happinets to a series-opening win.

Roby finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, plus three steals and three blocks for East-leading Akita (29-6). Shigehiro Taguchi added 16 points, Akitomo Takeno scored 13, Yuto Otsuka had 11 and Travon Bryant chipped in with eight.

The Happinets out-rebounded the Albirex 53-38.

Russell Carter paced Niigata (21-14) with 23 points and eight rebounds. Thomas Kennedy had 17 points.

HeatDevils 94, Rizing 86

In Oita, Hiroki Oshiro went 4-for-4 from 3-point range and had a team-best 20 points and Taishiro Shimizu drained 4 of 8 from beyond the arc in an 18-point performance as the HeatDevils defeated struggling Fukuoka.

Demetri McCamey added 14 points and five assists for the HeatDevils (13-22) and Kellen Thornton scored 13 points.

Oita had 35 fourth-quarter points.

The teams combined for 71 free-throw attempts, 40 by the HeatDevils.

Josh Peppers led the Rizing (7-28) with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. John Humphrey scored 18 points and Kirk Van Slyke added 15.

Fukuoka lost its eighth straight game. Head coach Joe Bryant served a one-game ban issued by the league for a bench infraction against his team in the third quarter last Sunday.

Lakestars 78, Evessa 73

In Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, Shiga big man Chris Holm's 16-point, 15-rebound, six-assist, five-block performance lifted his team past its Kansai rival.

Terrance Woodbury poured in 23 points in 19-plus minutes and Ray Nixon scored 16 for the Lakestars (22-11). Jeff Parmer added nine points and four assists in the win.

Takuya Soma had 22 points for Osaka, including 6 of 10 from long range. Seth Tarver and Josh Dollard each scored 16 points for the Evessa (21-14), who were held to 38.1 percent shooting on 2-pointers.

Grouses 75, B-Corsairs 69

In Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Masashi Joho had the hot hand from the perimeter, draining five 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 29 points for Toyama.

Center Sam Willard had 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Grouses (25-10) and Takeshi Mito scored 11 points.

Veteran guard Jermaine Dixon made his Toyama debut on Saturday. He came off the bench and played 21 minutes. He was held to one point and shot 0-for-6 from the field. The younger brother of longtime NBA guard Juan Dixon shared the team lead in assists (five), grabbed four rebounds and made a steal.

Dzaflo Larkai and Carl Hall both scored 14 points for Yokohama (8-25). Larkai grabbed 13 rebounds and Hall had 12.

Broncos 87, Cinq Reves 85

In Musashino, Saitama's Gary Johnson had 23 points and Nyika Williams added 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Broncos sent Tokyo to its 18th straight defeat.

Williams' high-energy performance included five steals and four blocks.

Yuki Sasaki scored 14 points and Junya Masumoto and Koji Nagata added 13 apiece for the Broncos (4-29).

The Cinq Reves' Jemal Farmer and Zane Knowles shared the team lead in points (20). Will Foster finished with 16 points, 20 rebounds, six blocks and five assists.

Brave Warriors 99, Crane Thunders 88

In Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, Shinshu controlled the boards and snapped a three-game slide by beating the hosts.

The Brave Warriors (14-19) out-rebounded the Crane Thunders 51-33.

Shinshu's Patrick Sanders had 23 points, DeVaughn Washington added 18 points and Mohamed Abukar contributed 17 and a team-best four assists, while Terrance Jennings supplied 13 points and nine boards.

Carlos Dixon paced Gunma (12-21) with 19 points. Daniel Northern Jr. had 17 points, seven boards and three steals and Yusuke Kodera contributed 16 points.

Wat's 83, Firebonds 78

In Towada, Aomori Prefecture, Gordon Klaiber and Gyno Pomare combined for 40 points and the Wat's prevailed in a hard-fought series opener.

Klaiber energized Aomori (18-17) off the bench, scoring 22 points in 26:10. Pomare finished 7-for-8 from the field in an 18-point night with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Paul Williams added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the hosts, Kyle Richardson raked in 13 boards and Yuki Kitamuki had 11 points.

Verdell Jones III led Fukushima (12-23) with 25 points and Terrance Shannon chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Takumi Masuko had 12 points.

Big Bulls 95, 89ers 82

In Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, veteran poised carried the Big Bulls to a convincing victory over Sendai.

Lawrence Blackledge and Scootie Randall scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, for Iwate (28-7). Randall hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds.

Tsubasa Yonamine and Wayne Arnold finished with 10 points apiece in the win.

Wendell White had 27 points for Sendai (22-13), which shot 13-for-23 at the free-throw line. Kejuan Johnson added 26 points and seven assists.

Phoenix 97, Five Arrows 85

In Zentsuji, Kagawa Prefecture, Mo Charlo and Olu Ashaolu each had 20 points and three teammates also scored in double figures as Hamamatsu cruised past the Five Arrows.

Charlo and Tasuku Namizato each dished out five assists for the Phoenix (29-6), who sealed the victory at the line by converting 21 of 24 shots.

Justin Watts paced Takamatsu (10-25) with 21 points and Dexter Lyons scored 14.

Susanoo Magic 77, Golden Kings 71

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, the hosts jumped out to a 29-12 by the end of the first quarter and held on to its lead to beat the reigning champions.

Wesley Witherspoon scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and doled out four assists for Shimane (12-23). Jun Abe, who connected on 4 of 5 3-point shots, matched his season-high with 16 points.

Anthony McHenry was the Golden Kings' leading scorer (15 points). Draelon Burns and Morihisa Yamauchi both had 11 points.

Ryukyu fell to 29-6.