UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Pref. –

Both Tochigi Brex-SeaHorses Mikawa games lived up to their lofty expectations over the weekend.

The powerhouse basketball clubs exchanged down-to-the-wire wins, not unlike two heavyweight boxers trading knockout punches in back-to-back title bouts.

On Sunday, it was Tochigi's turn to chalk up a number in the victory column.

Veteran bench boss Tom Wisman's club did it with timely baskets and clutch steals, high-level defense and important rebounds in this classic rematch, winning 74-68 before a packed, rowdy house at Brex Arena Utsunomiya.

Poised forward Ryan Rossiter had 11 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and muscled his way inside to lead all players with 16 rebounds. Star guard Yuta Tabuse had a big performance with 14 points and all three of his assists in the decisive final stanza. The same was true of his two steals, which helped wrap up the dramatic finish for the Brex (15-4).

Gavin Edwards led Mikawa (16-5) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. J.R. Sakuragi had 14 points, 10 boards and six assists and star sharpshooter Kosuke Kanamaru, guarded effectively and aggressively by Naoya Kumagae, was limited to 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting. Isaac Butts finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

After the game, SeaHorses coach Kimikazu Suzuki didn't need to point to the stat sheet — which showed 17 ties and no lead larger than six points for either team — to sum up the game, which ended with 44 rebounds for Mikawa and 43 for Tochigi. His club shot 4.06 percent from the field, while the Brex made only 38.7 percent of their shots.

"Today's game was the same as yesterday's," Suzuki said, alluding to the tough matchups and intensity of the competition.

"Both teams gave firm defense," he added. "It was a tense game."

Noting that both the SeaHorses and the Brex were powerhouse clubs during the JBL and NBL years, Suzuki spoke about it being a "difficult game" and a "pride game" for both teams.

Looking back on the game, Wisman credited his players for their effort and said that despite their 38.7 percent shooting, to pull out a win against a team like Mikawa "showed that we were still doing something right at the other end (on defense)."

"But I've got to give them credit," he said of the SeaHorses. "They were tough."

The fourth quarter showed Tochigi's toughness, too.

Wisman said that in the last quarter his team "got defensive stops when we needed to get stops."

On Saturday, the SeaHorses struck first, grabbing a 74-71 victory in the series opener. That contest featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes, and foreshadowed the intensity and fierce competition of the rematch.

In the rematch, with 3:14 to play in the fourth quarter, Mikawa clung to a 62-61 lead after Edwards drained two free throws.

Rossiter answered with a jumper from the top of the key, reversing the lead. And then it was Sakuragi's turn, scoring from the baseline.

And so the storyline went. Back and forth until Yusuke Endo, with 1:38 remaining, elevated, squared up and let fly from the left side a 3-point that sailed through the net for a 66-64 Brex lead they would not relinquish. Tabuse found his teammate and delivered an on-target pass at the opportune time.

After Edwards tied it up at 66-66 on another feed from Sakuragi, Tabuse was back in play-making mode and tossed a high lob to Rossiter and he converted the shot, though missed a chance at a three-point play when his free this was off the mark with 57.5 ticks remaining.

With 40 seconds left, Tabuse made another steal, trapping Kanamaru and forcing the ball out of his hands. Rossiter added a jam to push the lead up to 70-66.

Brex forward Jeff Gibbs then made an explosive leap to block Edwards' inside attack. Gibbs' two free throws made it a six-point game with 11.3 seconds left.

Ryoma Hashimoto had a layup to cut it to 72-68 before Kumagae sank two free throws with 3 seconds left to account for the final margin.

Earlier, Edwards scored on a powerful slam dunk to give the SeaHorses a 51-47 lead late in the third quarter, courtesy of a nice pass into the low post from Sakuragi. Moments later, Kumagae's putback trimmed the visitors' lead to 51-49, and that was the margin entering the final period.

Early in the fourth, another Edwards jam put his team in front 54-50, but then Tabuse intercepted a SeaHorses pass and scored a layup as Tochigi fans roared with delight.

Butts followed with a layup and sank a right-side jumper that increased the margin to 58-52, Mikawa's largest lead of the game.

After Rossiter missed a 3, Tochigi kept the ball for a second opportunity and Kumagae knocked one down. That made it 58-55, setting the stage for a spirited duel to the finish.

"I'm happy we got the win," Rossiter, a Siena College alum, said in the post-game interview, adding, "the team felt like we let one get away yesterday."

Tabuse called the game "a real challenge" to pull out the win.

"From start to finish, it took big plays," he acknowledged.

Both teams struggled to knock down 3-point shots in the series finale, combining to make 6 of 27. Tochigi sank only 2 of 9, with Endo’s big 3 providing a spark down the stretch.

In the paint: SeaHorses star guard Makoto Hiejima, who had 13 points, three assists and three steals in the series opener, sat out Sunday's game due to an ailing left leg, Suzuki said. ... Wisman told reporters his team allowed too many offensive rebounds during the two-game series. Mikawa pulled down 18 offensive boards on Saturday and 14 more a day later. .... The Tochigi coach also spoke about free throws being a key factor for his team in the rematch, noting the SeaHorses attempted 19 free throws (16 makes) to his club's eight shots (one make) on Saturday. In the rematch, Tochigi went 14-for-19 at the charity stripe; Mikawa converted 12 of 16. ... An announced crowd of 3,779 was at the arena. ... Tochigi committed just six turnovers on Sunday, with 12 assists on the stat sheet. The visitors had 11 turnovers and 11 assists.

Lakestars 85, Albirex BB 75

In Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, coach Koto Toyama's club raced out to a 33-18 lead entering the second quarter en route to a bounce-back win over Niigata.

The Lakestars (5-16) drained 11 of 20 3-point attempts. Julian Mavunga led the perimeter attack with a 4-for-5 showing from 3-point range in a 19-point, 12-rebound game. Tomonobu Hasegawa canned 3 of 6 3s en route to 17 points and Narito Namizato had 14 points.

Davante Gardner paced the Albirex (10-11) with 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. Clint Chapman had 12 points and Kei Igarashi scored nine.

Diamond Dolphins 75, B-Corsairs 69

In Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya mounted an impressive second-half comeback to defeat Yokohama for the second straight day.

The Diamond Dolphins (12-9) trailed by 13 points at the break, then outscored the visitors 49-30 in the second half.

Justin Burrell had 19 points and seven rebounds for Nagoya, while Jerome Tillman contributed 16 points and 11 boards. Takumi Ishizaki added 14 points and five assists.

Yokohama's Jason Washburn had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Takuya Kawamura scored 14 points and Jeff Parmer 13 for the B-Corsairs (7-14).

Alvark 84, NeoPhoenix 78

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Daiki Tanaka sparked Tokyo's opportunistic defense, making five steals and helping cause 19 San-en turnovers as the Alark completed a weekend sweep.

Floor leader Diante Garrett paced Tokyo (16-3) with 20 points and Zack Baranski had 17. Joji Takeuchi chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Troy Gillenwater also scored 13 points. Tanaka had a seven-point game.

The Alvark shot 59.1 percent from inside the arc.

Josh Childress had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the NeoPhoenix (12-9) and Robert Dozier finished with 14 points. Junki Kano and Tasuku Namizato scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Jets 86, Sunrockers 66

In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, the hosts lit up the scoreboard, scoring 75 points in three quarters and coasted to their ninth straight victory.

For Chiba (14-7), Ryumo Ono scored 17 points, Kosuke Ishii poured in 16 and Tyler Stone had 14. Yuki Togashi chipped in with 11 points and six assists and Michael Parker added 11 points, five steals and four assists. Center Hilton Armstrong hauled in 10 rebounds and blocked four shots to go along with five points and two assists. Yuki Ueta had a nine-point effort.

The Jets shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc and caused fits for Shibuya all afternoon from closer range, too, making 22 of 33 from 2-point range.

Ira Brown had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Sunrockers (11-10) and R.T. Guinn provided 10 points and nine rebounds.

Hannaryz 71, Northern Happinets 46

In Kyoto, Akita was held to 19 first-half points and the hosts scored 42 before intermission in a runaway win to salvage a series split.

Kyoto (10-11) converted 25 of 37 shots from inside the arc. Hayato Kawashima had a team-best 13 points and Marcus Dove and Lawrence Hill each scored 10. Dove pulled down eight rebounds.

For the Northern Happinets (6-15), Deshawn Stephens scored 18 points.

Second-division update: Here are the results of Sunday's game in the second flight: Tokyo Excellence 77, Bambitious Nara 75; Aomori Wat's 80, Yamagata Wyverns 76; Kagawa Five Arrows 89, Ehime Orange Vikings 68; Fukushima Firebonds 73, Ibaraki Robots 70; Fighting Eagles Nagoya 83, Shinshu Brave Warriors 58; Gunma Crane Thunders 71, Iwate Big Bulls 61; and Kumamoto Volters 78, Hiroshima Dragonflies 62.