The Ryukyu Golden Kings’ potent inside-outside scoring attack worked effectively in a runaway victory over the host Osaka Evessa on Friday night.
The Golden Kings knocked down 10 3-pointers, including Ryuichi Kishimoto’s 5-for-5 output, in a 72-51 decision.
Ryukyu All-Star forward Ira Brown sank three 3s in a 19-point, seven-rebound performance and Hassan Martin contributed 22 points, 14 boards and three steals for the visitors.
Kishimoto finished with 15 points as Ryukyu (22-7) cruised to its third straight triumph and opened the second half of the second with a flourish.
Naoki Tashiro and Takatoshi Furukawa added six and five points, respectively for the Kings.
Ryukyu outrebounded Osaka 40-32, which helped produce a 22-9 lead in second-chance points. Former NBA big man Hilton Armstrong shared the team lead in rebounds (seven) .
For the Evessa (8-21), David Wear, All-Star Naoya Kumagae and newcomer Keith Benson, who had a three-game stint with the Golden State Warriors in the 2011-12 season, all scored 10 points.
The 211-cm Benson, an Oakland (Michigan) University alum, came off the bench in his first game with Osaka, seeing 16 minutes of action. He had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Benson was the No. 48 pick (Atlanta Hawks) in the 2011 NBA Draft. Benson later suited up for teams in Europe, Asia and the NBA Development League.
Brex 80, Lakestars 79
In Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, the defending champions scored 30 fourth-quarter points and picked up their second victory in as many days over Shiga.
Tochigi (15-15) reached .500 for the first time this season. The Brex, who have won five straight games, sit in last place in the six-team East Division.
Cedric Bozeman paced the hosts with 14 points and Kosuke Takeuchi had 12 points, four assists and a pair of blocks. Jeff Gibbs and Ryan Rossiter added 10 points apiece, with Rossiter supplying 10 rebounds and six assists in 22-plus productive minutes. Yusuke Endo knocked down two 3-pointers in an eight-point effort.
The Lakestars led 34-27 at halftime and 61-50 entering the final stanza.
Tochigi flipped the script in the decisive fourth quarter.
Bozeman scored 11 fourth-quarter points and Takeuchi had eight.
The Brex made 10 of 13 2-point shots in the fourth.
D’or Fischer led Shiga with 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting with 16 rebounds and three blocks. Narito Namizato, who sank a 3-pointer in the game’s final second to account for the final score, had 15 points and eight assists. Tomonobu Hasegawa finished with 14 points.
Second-division update
Here are the results of Friday’s B2 games:
Earthfriends 88, Wat’s 77
Five Arrows 100, Orange Vikings 56
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