Reigning bj-league MVP Lynn Washington scored a game-high 36 points to lead the first-place Osaka Evessa to an 84-81 win over the Tokyo Apache on Saturday at Ariake Colosseum, improving to 5-0 against Joe Bryant's club in the process.

Matt Lottich and Jeff Newton scored 12 apiece and David Palmer added 10, and four Evessa players had 10 or more rebounds. John Humphrey led Tokyo with 27 points, while Kohei Aoki had 15 and Michael Jackson 14.

Elsewhere Saturday, the host Saitama Broncos defeated the Toyama Grouses 89-82.

Marcus Toney-El, Gordon James and Kazuhiro Shoji each scored 17 in the win. Jerod Ward and Nile Murry both poured in 27 for the struggling Grouses (6-15).

Ryan Blackwell and Michael Chappell scored 26 apiece to lead the visiting Sendai 89ers to a 78-71 win over the Niigata Albirex BB. Nick Davis paced the Albirex with 19 points.

The host Oita HeatDevils topped the Takamatsu Five Arrows 93-87.

Andy Ellis (24 points), Chris Ayer (20), Mikey Marshall (18) and Kohei Mitomo (13) led the way for Oita. For the Five Arrows, Julius Ashby had a 25-point effort and Isaac Sojourner scored a season-high 22 points.