The Bambitious Nara handed the Tokyo Cinq Reves their 16th straight defeat on Friday night.
In Nara’s 89-72 victory in Tachikawa, six Bambitious players reached double digits in scoring, including guard Jumpei Honda and big man Julius Ashby, who finished with 17 points apiece.
Charles Hinkle sank three 3-pointers in a 16-point effort for Nara (6-17), a third-year bj-league franchise. Tatsuya Suzuki added 11 points and nine assists. Suzuki leads the league in assists (6.4 per game).
Josh Ritchart also had 11 points for the Bambitious, who took a 78-50 lead into the fourth quarter. Makoto Higuchi finished with 10 points.
The game was tied at 21-21 after one quarter. Nara outscored the hosts 32-12 in the second quarter to take control.
The Bambitious shot 61.7 percent (29-for-47) from 2-point range.
Newcomer Malcolm Lemmons paced the Cinq Reves (1-22) with 22 points and John Florveus added 18.
Tokyo has dropped 58 of its last 60 games, stretching back to last season.
The two-game series resumes on Saturday afternoon in Tachikawa.
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