Parker, Shimane breeze past Oita

The Shimane Susanoo Magic fired on all cylinders on Saturday in a 91-71 road win over the lowly Oita HeatDevils.

Michael Parker scored a game-high 35 points, Reggie Golson filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal and B.J. Puckett had a 15-point evening as the Susanoo Magic raised their record to 11-8, including 7-4 on the road.

Shimane out-rebounded the hosts 48-38 and sank 15 of 21 free throws. Tatsuhiro Yokoo added 13 points and drained 4 of 7 3-point attempts.

Edward Yamamoto, the league's second-leading passer, had five assists for the Magic, who dished out 25 assists on the night. They also converted 29 of 55 shots from inside the arc.

The HeatDevils trailed 64-44 entering the fourth quarter.

Veteran guard Matt Lottich led Oita (4-15) with 25 points. He was 5-for-10 from 3-point range. Zach Atkinson and T.J. Cummings each had 16 points in the loss. Naoto Takushi chipped in with seven points and seven steals for coach Yukinori Suzuki's club in Saiki, Oita Prefecture.

Albirex BB 93, Broncos 80

In Niigata, led by two sharpshooters, first-year coach Matt Garrison's club was 12-for-23 from 3-point range en route to a one-sided victory over Saitama.

Shuhei Komatsu was 7-for-12 from 3-point range and scored a team-best 22 points, while forward Yuichi Ikeda flushed 5 of 9 3-pointers and scored 17 points as Niigata improved to 9-8.

Center Chris Holm had a double-double (13 points, 18 boards) and guard Nile Murry scored 11 points and handed out five assists for the Albirex. Erron Maxey chipped in with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Niigata picked up 22 offensive rebounds and held a 16-rebound edge over the Broncos (6-11).

Daiki Terashita led Saitama with 17 points and John Humphrey scored 16. Ex-NBA guard Kenny Satterfield had 15 points and 11 assists and power forward Jayme Miller added 15 points and six rebounds in his season debut.

Phoenix 93, Brave Warriors 77

In Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, smart, aggressive defense fueled the two-time defending champions win over Shinshu.

Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (11-8) collected 13 steals and held the expansion Brave Warriors to 3-for-15 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

Wayne Arnold and Kenya Tomori each had three steals to lead the Phoenix in the takeaway department.

Guard Jermaine Dixon paced Hamamatsu with 29 points, including 11-for-14 at the charity stripe. Arnold poured in 19 points and Herve Lamizana scored 13. Masahiro Oguchi added nine points off the bench.

Derek Raivio led Shinshu (9-10) with 20 points, Takato Saito scored 18 and Edward Morris had 13.

Shining Suns 98, 89ers 85

In Sendai, Lewis Witcher scored 24 points and Darryl Dora had 17 as six Miyazaki players scored in double figures in a win over the hosts.

Dora added 13 rebounds and six assists, while Taishiro Shimizu scored 13 points for the Shining Suns (8-11). Miyazaki had 23 assists and 10 turnovers and sank 18 of 21 free throws. Dexter Lyons hauled in 13 boards for the victors.

O'Neal Mims had 30 points to lead Sendai. Dan Fitzgerald scored 16 points and Johnny Dukes had 10. Yoshihiro Tachibana added eight points on 4-for-4 shooting.

The 89ers fell to 11-8.

"Miyazaki beat us at both ends of the floor," Sendai coach Bob Pierce said. "We need to be tougher mentally and physically tomorrow."

Northern Happinets 85, Evessa 68

In Yokote, Akita Prefecture, Ricky Woods' 32 points and 15 rebounds led the hosts to a win over Osaka on the night when two-time MVP Lynn Washington returned to the lineup for the visitors.

Stanley Ocitti finished with 19 points, Curtis Terry, NBA guard Jason Terry's half brother, had 11 points and Ryosuke Mizumachi and Yuki Kikuchi each had eight as Akita improved to 13-6, the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Washington, who missed three games with a torn pectoral muscle, scored a team-best 24 points with 11 rebounds and Lawrence Blackledge had 16 points. The rest of the team combined for 28 points.

The Evessa fell to 12-5.

Grouses 83, Jets 82

In Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, Brian Harper scored 21 points and Masashi Joho had 17 as Toyama edged the hosts.

Haakim Johnson finished with 13 points and Ira Brown added 12 for the Grouses (8-9).

For Chiba (9-10), Jamel Staten was the high scorer with 31 points along with 10 boards and five assists. Maurice Hargrow had a 21-point outing and Gaston Moliva scored 11 points. Reina Itakura added six.

"We are just not very good offensively," Jets coach Eric Gardow said. "We had 18 more possessions, we out-rebounded them, we forced more turnovers (and) when you control the possessions like we did, you should win by 20."

Gardow was impressed by veteran guard Joho's play, which included seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

"I love Joho's game," Gardow said. "He played all 40 (minutes). A joy to watch, a pain in the butt to play. Look at his stats. He commands attention on the court. A great player. I wish he was on my team."

Lakestars 81, B-Corsairs 64

In Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Shiga outscored the hosts 31-15 in the third quarter en route to a victory and a series sweep.

The Lakestars, now 14-6 under first-year coach Alan Westover, won the two games by a combined 37 points. The series opener was played at Yokohama International Swimming Pool.

Ray Nixon paced Shiga with 21 points on Saturday, Yu Okada added 18 points, including 3-for-6 on 3-point shots, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals and Dionisio Gomez added 15 points. Josh Peppers had a 14-point effort. The Lakestars were 23-for-26 at the free-throw line.

For Yokohama (7-11), Chas McFarland had 15 points and nine boards and Justin Burrell finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Masayuki Kabaya contributed 12 points.

Rizing 96, Big Bulls 81

In Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Fukuoka's Kevin Palmer scored 29 points and added 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals for good measure in a win over the hosts.

Carlos Dixon chipped in with 20 points and newcomer Jermaine Dearman, a veteran forward, added 15 in 16-plus minutes for the Rizing (12-7). Gary Hamilton had a 10-point, 12-rebound, five-assist performance and Akitomo Takeno had eight points.

For Iwate (5-14), which had won its four previous games, Thomas Kennedy was the leading scorer with 28 points, Shawn Malloy had 15 and Yoshiaki Yamamoto and Hayato Kantake each scored 13.

Golden Kings 97, Five Arrows 76

In Takamatsu, Naoto Kosuge led Ryukyu with 21 points, Anthony McHenry supplied 18 points and ample athleticism, Jeff Newton provided 16 points and 12 rebounds and David Palmer scored 14 as the visitors handed the woeful Five Arrows their 19th loss in as many games this season.

The Golden Kings improved to 14-5 overall, 9-2 on the road.

Paul Butorac paced Takamatsu with 17 points. The Five Arrows have the longest single-season losing streak in league history.

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