Strong 3-point shooting carried the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix past the Iwate Big Bulls on Saturday night.
The Phoenix recorded a 69-68 victory in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.
The defending champions (31-14) shot 12-for-27 from beyond the arc. Seven Phoenix players made at least one 3-pointer. DeAngelo Kirkland was the team leader in that category with three 3s. He finished with 12 points.