Points came in a hurry for the home team at Funabashi Arena on Saturday, especially in the first and third quarters.
The Chiba Jets Funabashi led 25-11 after one quarter.
It was a sign of things to come in a 89-48 demolition of the Sunrockers Shibuya before a packed house of 5,114 spectators.
The Jets (28-11) took a 44-26 lead into intermission, then their turbo-charged offense dropped 27 points on the Sunrockers in the third stanza.
Shibuya faced a 71-39 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Former UConn big man Gavin Edwards paced Chiba with 20 points and 15 rebounds and added five assists for good measure. Ryumo Ono scored 17 points and Michael Parker added 14. Aki Chambers poured in nine points and Leo Lyons supplied seven points, nine boards and seven assists with a pair of steals.
Jets backcourt leader Yuki Togashi returned to action after missing the past 10 regular-season games with a bruised left thigh. It was his first appearance since New Year’s Day. In nearly 20 minutes off the bench, Togashi, who missed the All-Star Game on Jan. 15 due to his leg injury, scored seven points, handed out four assists and grabbed two boards.
Robert Sacre had 19 points for the Sunrockers (22-17). Forward Ruben Boykin, who suited up for the second-division Earthfriends Tokyo Z in 38 games before joining Shibuya this week, contributed nine points.
The Sunrockers shot 28.6 percent.
On the other hand, Chiba shot 52.7 percent, including 62.7 percent from 2-point range.
The Jets held a 52-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Albirex BB 99, Alvark 92 (OT)
In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Davante Gardner had a game-high 43 points and Kei Igarashi scored 23 and dished out seven assists as the hosts prevailed in overtime against Tokyo.
Gardner, a Marquette University product, scored 40 or more points for the sixth time this season. He leads the B. League in scoring (29.5 points per game).
Igarashi knocked down 5 of 8 3-pointers for the Albirex (16-23), while 22-year-old teammate Keita Imamura added a season-best 18 points, including 4 of 6 from long range.
Daiki Tanaka and Alex Kirk had 18 points apiece for the Alvark (29-10) and Seiya Ando poured in 17 points. Jawad Williams finished with 11 points.
Tanaka handed out 10 assists to complete the double-double.
Kirk was Tokyo’s top rebounder with eight boards.
Diamond Dolphins 84, Grouses 63
In Toyama, Nagoya’s defense capitalized on the hosts’ miscues and picked up a lopsided win.
The Diamond Dolphins took advantage of Toyama’s 16 turnovers, scoring 15 points off Grouses giveaways. Nagoya made 13 steals.
For Nagoya (19-20), Justin Burrell had a team-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Jerome Tillman and Taito Nakahigashi both scored 13 points and Takaya Sasayama chipped in with 12 points, six assists and four steals in 18-plus high-energy minutes.
Dexter Pittman led Toyama (17-22) with 18 points. Naoki Uto scored 14 points and Clint Chapman had 12.
The Grouses were 3-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Hannaryz 94, Brex 77
In Kyoto, Julian Mavunga led all scorers with 20 points and teammate Joshua Smith produced an 18-point, 15-rebound, four-assist performance as the hosts pounded Tochigi.
The Hannaryz were extremely effective on offense from inside the arc, where they sank 26 of 40 shots, including 9 of 11 by Smith, 6 of 7 by Mavunga and 3 of 3 by Marcus Dove.
Shun Watanuki chipped in with 12 points and six assists and Yuya Nagayoshi had 11 points, draining all three of his 3-point attempts for Kyoto (23-16). Dove and Masaharu Kataoka added eight points apiece, while Tatsuya Ito notched five assists.
The Hannaryz, who drained 18 of 19 foul shots, were ahead 46-32 at halftime.
Tochigi’s Ryan Rossiter had a double-double (14 points, 14 assists) and Seiji Ikaruga also scored 14 points. Yusuke Endo had 13 points and Jeff Gibbs finished with 10 for the Brex (21-18).
SeaHorses 78, Lakestars 66
In Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, former University of Michigan forward Courtney Sims shined in his B. League debut, helping Mikawa roll past the hosts for their seventh consecutive victory.
The 211-cm Sims, who appeared in a combined five games for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns (2008-09), had a team-high 19 points and hauled in nine rebounds. He swatted two shots as well.
Kosuke Kanamaru scored 13 points and Makoto Hiejima and J.R. Sakuragi each had 10 for the SeaHorses (31-8). Captain Masaya Karimata finished with six points and five assists.
Hiejima also had four assists and four steals, while Sakuragi grabbed 10 boards and handed out four assists.
Shiga’s Narito Namizato scored 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Venky Jois had 12 points and D’or Fischer put 11 on the board for the Lakestars (12-27).
NeoPhoenix 85, Susanoo Magic 54
In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Robert Dozier’s 23-point, 12-rebound effort and the team’s stellar rebounding helped push San-en past the struggling hosts.
Shimane lost its 13th game in a row.
Scott Morrision scored 14 points for the NeoPhoenix (18-21), Tatsuya Suzuki and Atsuya Ota both had 11 and Junki Kano added 10. Hayato Kawashima was the team leader in assists (five) and steals (four).
For the Susanoo Magic (7-32), Josh Scott led the way with 22 points and Gyno Pomare and Takuya Soma scored nine apiece.
Former NBA forward Al Thornton had a quiet first game with Shimane, scoring two points and collecting four rebounds in 12-plus minutes off the bench.
Brave Thunders 105, B-Corsairs 75
In Yokohama, Kawasaki delivered a potent offensive performance and pounced on the hosts in the series opener.
The Brave Thunders made 41 of 69 shots (59.4 percent).
Kawasaki (26-13) led 55-38 at halftime.
Ex-NBA player Nick Fazekas had 26 points and 10 boards for the visitors and Yuma Fujii scored 15 points, including three 3s, doled out five assists and made three steals. Josh Davis added 14 points and Naoto Tsuji had 12 points and five assists. Lou Amundson chipped in with eight points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block and Hiroki Taniguchi also scored eight points.
William McDonald had 18 points for Yokohama (11-28) and Hasheem Thabeet scored 17 points and corralled seven boards. Takuya Sato and Masashi Hosoya added 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Jeff Parmer had nine points.
Golden Kings 60, Evessa 52
In Okinawa City, Ryukyu triumphed over Osaka in a defensive struggle to complete a series sweep and extend their winning streak to six games.
The Golden Kings (32-8) shot 33.3 percent from the floor; the Evessa converted 30.5 percent of their shots.
Hassan Martin sparked the hosts with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Ira Brown contributed seven points and 13 rebounds and Kohei Ninomiya had seven points and five assists. Former NBA big man Hilton Armstrong grabbed 10 boards, while Takumi Ishizaki and Yutaro Suda both scored six points.
The Golden Kings trailed 27-19 at halftime, then turned the tide by outscoring the visitors 27-7 in the third quarter.
David Wear led Osaka (13-27) with 13 points and Xavier Gibson had 10 points and 14 rebounds. Soichiro Fujitaka scored eight points.
Second-division update
Here are the results of Saturday’s B2 games:
Fighting Eagles 88, Samuraiz 75
Dragonflies 87, Orange Vikings 79
Wyverns 77, Big Bulls 73
Volters 93, Wat’s 85
Northern Happinets 100, Firebonds 69
Robots 76, Crane Thunders 69
Brave Warriors 64, Five Arrows 56
Earthfriends 59, Bambitious 50
Northern Happinets 106, 89ers 58
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