After losing their first three games this season against the Ryukyu Golden Kings, the Osaka Evessa came back with a fierce determination to bounce back on Sunday.

It wasn't easy.

It took overtime for the Evessa to complete the task, winning 72-69 over the defending champions in Okinawa City before a packed house of rowdy Golden Kings supporters.

Josh Dollard paced Osaka (23-17) with 23 points and Shunki Hatakeyama had 13. Shota Konno scored 11 and Seth Tarver added nine. Macho forward Gary Hamilton contributed six points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks for the visitors.

The Evessa snapped a three-game losing streak.

Anthony Kent led Ryukyu (33-7) with 14 points. Draelon Burns (11 points, 12 rebounds, five assists) and Kibwe Trim (11 points, nine boards) were the hosts' only other double-digit scorers. Naoto Kosuge finished with seven points.

Ryukyu missed 22 of its 29 3-point shots.

Hannaryz 77, Phoenix 67

In Ise, Mie Prefecture, in a clash of Western Conference titans, coach Honoo Hamaguchi's Hannaryz outplayed Hamamatsu to complete a series sweep.

West-leading Kyoto (34-6) held the Phoenix to 21 first-half points.

Shun Watanuki scored a team-high 17 points for the victors, with David Palmer putting 14 on the board and Reggie Warren 11. Ryan Forehan-Kelly and Kevin Kotzur each had 10.

Mo Charlo led Hamamatsu (32-8) with 26 points, including 12-for-15 at the free-throw line. Olu Ashaolu added 17 points and Nile Murry had seven.

The Hannaryz out-rebounded their rivals 42-29.

The Phoenix, who entered the series with a six-game winning streak, hadn't lost consecutive games since Jan. 18 (against Shiga) and Jan. 24 (Oita).

Reflecting on the keys to back-to-back wins, Warren said, "I think it's that we are still a very hungry team, trying to improve each and every game. I mean, to beat a good team like Hamamatsu you have to be able to execute your game plan. I think for the most part we did just that this weekend.

"It was two good wins over a very good team," Warren told The Japan Times. "We did what we needed to protect our home court, because we have to go back up to Hamamatsu soon."

Susanoo Magic 96, Five Arrows 78

In Unnan, Shimane Prefecture, Joe Chapman scored 20 points, Wesley Witherspoon poured in 19 and Shuichi Takada had a season-best 18 as the hosts salvaged a series split.

Bingo Merriex chipped in with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Shimane (14-26) and Edward Yamamoto had 11.

The Magic limited Takamatsu to 4-for-21 shooting from beyond the arc.

Dexter Lyons, who had 25 points, was the Five Arrows' top scorer. The University of Central Florida alum pulled down 10 rebounds.

Justin Watts and B.J. Puckett scored 12 points apiece for Takamatsu (11-29), while Andrais Thornton had 10 points and Koki Yabuuchi contributed seven and threaded the needle on 10 passes that were officially recorded as assists.

Bambitious 76, HeatDevils 74

In Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, Portland State product Chehales Tapscott's 23-point, 15-rebound, three-block performance energized the hosts in another down-to-the-wire win over Oita.

The HeatDevils eked out an OT win a day earlier.

Taishi Kasahara scored 15 points and Tatsuya Suzuki had 13 points and nine assists for the Bambitious (11-29), a second-year franchise. James Rahon had 12 points and Ryo Yamazaki finished with 11.

Demetri McCamey paced Oita (15-25) with 20 points and Todd O'Brien had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kellen Thornton added 12 points and 13 boards and Taishiro Shimizu scored nine points. Naoto Takushi doled out six assists.

Big Bulls 94, Cinq Reves 87

In Hino, Masato Tsukino scored 21 points and Lawrence Blackledge recorded a triple-double to lead Iwate to its second triumph in as many days over Tokyo.

Wayne Arnold sank five 3-pointers in a 19-point effort, Scootie Randall had 15 and Jun Nakanishi scored 13 for the East-leading Big Bulls (33-7), who extended their winning streak to six.

Blackledge finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocks.

Yuji Ide knocked down seven 3-pointers and had 26 points for the Cinq Reves (5-33), while Will Foster chipped in with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Yuta Kurihara matched Foster's scoring total, and Zane Knowles had 12 points.

"I think we are playing well," Blackledge told The Japan Times after the game, "trying to get better with each practice and each game. (There are) 12 games left, we want to finish out the season strong and hopefully be playing our best ball in May when it counts the most."

How important is coach Dai Oketani as a tone-setting leader for the club?

"Coach demands a lot out of us," Blackledge said. "He wants our best performance every weekend. There have been games we've won by over 20 and he is mad in the post-game huddle. We have to continue to believe in his game plan and trust each other on the court."

Asked what his rare triple-double means to him, Blackledge responded by saying, "The triple-double is nice but I don't care too much for it. My teammates were more excited for me than I was for myself. I'm happy to get the victory more than anything.

"Guys were making shots today and I just happened to be the passer. It's always fun when everybody is involved offensively. Just taking what the defense gives us. Share the ball and trust your teammates to make shots is what coach preaches every day."

Wat's 96, Grouses 81

In Toyama, Gordon Klaiber rang up 31 points in the series finale, lifting Aomori to a bounce-back victory. He sank 6 of 8 3-pointers on the afternoon.

Gyno Pomare contributed 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Wat's (20-20), Paul Williams had 14 points and eight boards and Yuki Kitamuki scored 11 points.

Jamelle Horne had 20 points for the Grouses (27-13) and Masashi Joho and Joe Werner both had 17. Tatsunori Fujie scored 10 points, as did Sam Willard, who had eight rebounds and six assists as well.

Aomori drained 21 free throws; Toyama made six. That difference produced the final margin, too.

Brave Warriors 98, Broncos 84

In Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, the Broncos fell to 0-18 on the season at home.

Shinshu (17-21) took a 35-10 lead into the second quarter, and was never seriously threatened.

Mohamed Abukar scored 14 points for the Brave Warriors and Terrance Jennings, DeVaughn Washington and Patrick Sanders had 12 apiece.

Shinshu converted 71.4 percent of their shots from 2-point range and dished out 31 assists against 13 turnovers.

Nyika Williams paced Saitama (4-34) with 34 points and 14 rebounds and Takato Hara had a 17-point afternoon. Yuki Sasaki chipped in with 11 points and six assists.

Northern Happinets 94, B-Corsairs 88

In Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, Shigehiro Taguchi had the hot hand from the perimeter — and the green light to keep shooting. Taguchi canned 5 of 10 3s in an electrifying 29-point performance as the hosts completed a series sweep over Yokohama.

Akita's Richard Roby finished with 19 points and eight rebounds and Deshawn Stephens supplied 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the floor. Ruben Boykin added 15 points, 14 rebounds and four assists for the Happinets (32-8).

Carl Hall had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the B-Corsairs (10-28) and Wayne Marshall scored 16 points. Masayuki Kabaya added 15 points and Warren Niles scored 14. Kenji Yamada dished out nine assists.

89ers 106, Firebonds 77

In Sendai, Jeral Davis, Kejuan Johnson and Wendell White combined for 66 points and the 89ers routed struggling Fukushima.

Davis had a team-best 24 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including four dunks, and 11 rebounds. Johnson supplied 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals. White put 20 points on the board, making 8 of 9 shots. Yasuhiko Wada poured in 15 points and Adrian Moss had 10.

As a team, Sendai (26-14) shot 71.7 percent from inside the arc.

With power forward Terrance Shannon (knee injury) out for the season and guard Verdell Jones III also sidelined, the short-handed Firebonds (12-28) slipped to their sixth straight loss. Masaya Karimata and Edward Morris had 21 points apiece, James Hughes scored 18 and Shinya Murakami nine.

Albirex BB 101, Crane Thunders 73

In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, the hosts dominated in the rebounding department and built a sizable lead by halftime en route to their second win of the weekend over Gunma.

The Albirex out-rebounded the Crane Thunders 45-29.

Gunma (15-23) trailed by 17 points at the break.

Russell Carter, a Notre Dame product, had 23 points for Niigata (26-14) and Patrick Sullivan added 19 points and nine rebounds. Kimitake Sato and Thomas Kennedy scored 18 and 13 points, respectively, and Stephan Van Treese 10.

Daniel Northern Jr. paced the Crane Thunders with 13 points, Carlos Dixon scored 12, Yusuke Kodera had 11, Yosuke Sugawara 10 and former NBA center Melvin Ely eight.