UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Pref. –

Tochigi Brex supporters came out in full force, putting fannies in every seat. There wasn't an empty seat in the packed joint.

The Brex returned the favor — a gift that didn't need to be wrapped with a fancy bow — to the delight of their loyal fans, defeating the Yokohama B-Corsairs 84-69 on Christmas Day at Brex Arena Utsunomiya.

A boisterous crowd of 3,704 saw the Brex (20-5) build a 47-25 cushion by halftime that slipped away during the third quarter as the visitors stormed back. But Tochigi stayed poised and made a number of big plays down the stretch to secure the victory, their second in as many days over Yokohama (9-18).

Frontcourt standout Ryan Rossiter delivered a 20-point, 22-rebound, four-assist, four-steal effort for the Brex. Guard Hironori Watanabe buried 6 of 9 3-point attempts, including 3 of 3 in the fourth quarter, in a dazzling 23-point, six-assist performance. Old reliable Yuta Tabuse finished with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting and dished out five assists.

What's more, Brex big man Kosuke Takeuchi, a longtime JBL and NBL star, surpassed the 5,000-point milestone during his 10-point outing.

After a memorable game, Rossiter, a Siena College alum, recalled past Christmases for basketball action that he watched during his youth.

"When I was younger, I was a big Duke fan," he said of the NCAA powerhouse school, "and I definitely remember the Duke-Maryland comeback (in 2001) when they were down 10 with (less than) a minute left. . . . I was always watching the games as a kid."

"It's a lot of fun," he added, when asked about playing on Christmas. "Usually you look forward to watching the NBA on Christmas Day, and I'll definitely watch some games tomorrow. But it's fun to play on Christmas Day. We had a really good crowd today, so it was a good time. I'm happy to get the win."

Rossiter was a forceful presence in the paint. Like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up dirt off a dirty rug, his impact on the game was similar, absorbing contact in the low post and cleaning up off the offensive glass, grabbing 10 offensive boards — more than the entire Yokohama squad.

This contributed greatly to the Brex's impressive 16-5 edge in second-chance points.

Tochigi never trailed. The hosts outrebounded Yokohama (39-25, including a 16-6 edge on the offensive glass), and the Brex chalked up 21 assists and held the visitors to 11.

Former Brex star Takuya Kawamura, who was 4-for-6 on 3s, led Yokohama with 22 points. Jason Washburn had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Kenji Yamada scored nine points. Masashi Hosoya added six points and six assists, while Kazutaka Takashima matched Hosoya's scoring total.

By outscoring the Brex 26-16 in the third quarter, Yokohama trimmed the lead to 63-51 entering the final period.

After the game, Watanabe smiled and said, "Today, I did my best."

Tabuse called it "a very good team effort."

Brex coach Tom Wisman described it as "a tale of two halves. (We) were very good for one, and not as good for the second."

He added: "The second half belonged to Yokohama and that's a concern."

B-Corsairs coach Taketo Aoki acknowledged his team played an up-and-down game. He lamented the team's "slow start" and said his club needs to do a better job rebounding.

Early on, the Tochigi offense was clicking and a Watanabe jumper put his team in front 10-3 before an official timeout that featured air-guitar camera accompanied by a rock music video ("Johnny B. Goode").

The Brex kept running and passing with dynamic energy. They also held the visitors to 3-for-13 shooting in the opening quarter.

After a Yamada 3 brought the B-Corsairs within 23-16 with 6 minutes left in the first half, the Brex used a 17-4 spurt to double the lead.

That cushion, which reached 26 points, helped as the B-Corsairs grew stronger in the third quarter.

"Although we did win the fourth quarter," Wisman said. "In the third quarter we were pretty poor.

"For us to play so well and hold a team to 25 points in a half and 36 percent shooting and then defensively we were not the same team that we were when we built that lead."

Indeed. The B-Corsairs shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half.

Wisman said after Saturday's 76-71 Tochigi win, a performance that he didn't consider particularly strong, he challenged players to step up in the rematch.

"We've got to get the team to have that mentality, though," he said. "It can't be an individual thing."

Northern Happinets 79, Golden Kings 74 (OT)

In Okinawa City, Scott Morrison had 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting to lead Akita to a bounce-back victory over the hosts.

Deshawn Stephens added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Happinets (7-20) and Seiya Ando finished with 13 points.

Lamont Hamilton scored 25 points and pulled down eight boards for the Golden Kings (11-16), who outscored Akita 24-7 in the fourth quarter. Reyshawn Terry and Morihisa Yamauchi chipped in with 13 points apiece.

SeaHorses 102, Grouses 85

In Toyama, sharpshooter Kosuke Kanamaru put 32 points on the board and converted 13 of 16 shots from the field as high-scoring Mikawa completed a holiday weekend sweep of the hosts.

J.R. Sakuragi and Isaac Butts each scored 16 points and Makoto Hiejima had 15 for the SeaHorses (21-6).

The visitors outrebounded Toyama 40-29.

Naoki Uto paced the Grouses (3-24) with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting and dished out five assists. Masashi Joho had a 19-point game and Dexter Pittman and Sam Willard had nine points apiece.

NeoPhoenix 84, Evessa 59

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, San-en rode its hot perimeter shooting to a runaway win over Osaka, completing a sweep.

The NeoPhoenix (14-13) nailed 12 of 22 3s.

San-en's Robert Dozier had 17 points and seven rebounds, Olu Ashaolu scored 14 points and Shuto Tawatari, Tasuku Namizato and Atsuya Ota all had 12.

Xavier Gibson led the Evessa (15-12) with 17 points and Josh Harrellson had 14.

Hannaryz 75, Levanga 66

In Kyotanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, the hosts forced 24 turnovers and salvaged a series split.

Marcus Dove energized Kyoto (13-14) with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven steals. Shingo Utsumi scored 16 points, knocking down 5 of 7 3s. Lawrence Hill contributed 11 points.

Jahmar Thorpe had 15 points for Hokkaido (7-20). Daniel Miller scored 14 points and corralled nine rebounds. Miller also had nine turnovers.

Second-division update: Here are results of Sunday's games in the second flight: Kumamoto Volters 86, Gunma Crane Thunders 57; Fighting Eagles Nagoya 92, Ehime Orange Vikings 72; Kagawa Five Arrows 96, Shinshu Brave Warriors 73; Bambitious Nara 82, Iwate Big Bulls 66; Aomori Wat's 73, Earthfriends Tokyo Z 62; Hiroshima Dragonflies 74, Yamagata Wyverns 65; Nishinomiya Storks 91, Fukushima Firebonds 58; and Kagoshima Rebnise 56, Tokyo Excellence 53.