The Utsunomiya Brex are firing on all cylinders in pursuit of the B. League title.
On Saturday, coach Ryuzo Anzai’s squad collected its 11th consecutive victory, beating the visiting San-en NeoPhoenix 89-79 at Brex Arena Utsunomiya.
Ryan Rossiter paced the Brex (18-4) with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, team-high totals in all three categories. Ryo Yamazaki and Shuhei Kitagawa both scored 11 points and Seiji Ikaruga had 10. Hironori Watanabe poured in nine points and Makoto Hiejima chipped in with eight.
Newcomer Jawad Williams, who signed with the Brex this week after a one-month stint with the Koshigaya Alphas, contributed four points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in nearly 22 minutes off the bench.
The hosts capitalized on San-en’s miscues, scoring 25 points from turnovers. The NeoPhoenix turned the ball over 15 times.
The Brex, meanwhile, had 26 assists and eight turnovers.
Takanobu Nishikawa led San-en (2-20) with 24 points and Robert Dozier scored 19 and pulled down nine boards.
Levanga 97, SeaHorses 88
In Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Markeith Cummings’ game-best 44 points and Kennedy Meeks’ double-double (27 points, 10 rebounds) carried Hokkaido past the hosts in the series opener.
Cummings, a Kennesaw (Georgia) State alum, made 19 of 28 shots from the field.
The Levanga (10-12) outscored Mikawa 30-14 in the fourth quarter.
Davante Gardner had 18 points, eight boards and eight assists for the SeaHorses (5-17). Takuya Kawamura scored 16 points and J.R. Sakuragi, Kosuke Kanamaru and Satoshi Nagano all had 12.
Jets 100, B-Corsairs 94 (OT)
In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, Michael Parker and Gavin Edwards both scored five points in overtime as the Jets triumphed over Kanto rival Yokohama.
Parker finished with 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting and hauled in 15 boards. Edwards contributed 20 points and nine boards along with six assists.
Chiba guards Yuki Togashi and Shigehiro Taguchi, who were teammates on the Akita Northern Happinets earlier this decade, provided 17 and 13 points, respectively.
The Jets (14-8) were sent to the free-throw line nearly twice as many times as the visitors.
Chiba sank 20 of 29 foul shots; Yokohama made 11 of 14.
The Jets made 25 of 35 shots from inside the 3-point arc.
The B-Corsairs’ Aki Chambers sent the game into OT by nailing a game-tying 3-pointer with 39 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. That made it 85-85, and neither team scored again in regulation.
James Southerland paced Yokohama with 33 points and 10 rebounds. He had a stellar shooting performance: 9 of 10 from 2-point range and 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. Chambers added 19 points, Reginald Becton scored 15 and Ryo Tawatari had 14. Tawatari and Southerland shared the team lead in assists (five).
Brave Thunders 69, Diamond Dolphins 67
In Nagoya, Kawasaki held off the hosts in a back-and-forth game that was decided in the final minute.
Brave Thunders guard Ryusei Shinoyama made the first of two free-throw attempts with 12 seconds left to account for the final score.
Nick Fazekas was Kawasaki’s leading scorer with 12 points. Yuma Fujii and Naoto Tsuji each had 11-point outings. Shinoyama scored 10 points and Mathias Calfani added nine for the Central Division-leading Brave Thunders (19-3). Fazekas grabbed 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.
Justin Burrell finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Diamond Dolphins (1-11). Shuto Ando added 13 points and Hilton Armstrong scored 12.
Evessa 87, Sunrockers 76
In Osaka, Josh Harrellson’s 31-point, 13-rebound performance help guide the hosts past Shibuya.
Sean O’Mara had 15 points, Ira Brown scored 13 and Tatsuya Ito supplied 11 points and four assists for the Evessa (14-7).
The Sunrockers missed 27 of 33 3-point attempts.
Ryan Kelly led Shibuya (15-7) with 29 points. Sebastian Saiz had 14 points and 14 boards and Leo Vendrame chipped in with 11 points and seven assists.
Albirex BB 78, Lakestars 74
In Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Niigata outplayed the hosts in the second half en route to a series-opening victory.
The Albirex (7-15) trailed 41-33 at halftime, then played at a higher level in the final two periods.
Lamont Hamilton, who sank 4 of 5 3s, had a game-high 21 points and Nick Perkins added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Niigata. Shinsuke Kashiwagi contributed nine points, Jun Uzawa had eight and Keita Imamura finished with seven points and six assists.
Power forward Jeff Ayres led Shiga (9-13) with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Lakestars point guard Takumi Saito had a 14-point, six-assist outing, Craig Brackins scored 12 points and snared 10 rebounds and Koyo Takahashi added 11 points, including three 3s.
Northern Happinets 74, Grouses 68
In Toyama, Akita’s Takatoshi Furukawa and Kadeem Coleby scored 20 points apiece in a win over the hosts.
Takashi Ito dished out seven assists for the Northern Happinets (12-9).
Akita held a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Leo Lyons finished with 16 points and 12 assists for Toyama (7-15). Daichi Kuzuhara scored 15 points and Satoru Maeta had 13.
Golden Kings 99, Hannaryz 78
In Okinawa City, a competitive game turned into a rout in the fourth quarter, and Kyoto dropped its 11th straight game.
De’Mon Brooks sparked Ryukyu (14-7) with 23 points and Jack Cooley had 22 points and 13 rebounds. Ryuichi Kishimoto sank four 4s in a 16-point night and Narito Namizato added 12 points and nine assists.
Brooks, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, scored 13 fourth-quarter points, helping the Golden Kings outscore the visitors 32-11 in the final stanza.
David Simon led the Hannaryz (8-14) with 35 points. Julian Mavunga added 15 points and 10 assists.
Alvark 79, Susanoo Magic 50
In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, newcomers Milan Macvan and Kevin Jones combined for 42 points as Tokyo completed a series sweep of the Susanoo Magic.
Macvan had 22 points and 12 boards with four assists, a steal and a block. Jones provided 20 points and had two steals and two blocks.
Yutaro Suda scored 18 points and Daiki Tanaka contributed eight points, seven assists and four steals for the Alvark (17-5).
DaJuan Summers led Shimane (7-15) with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a team-high eight turnovers.
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