In Sunday's bj-league action, the visiting Niigata Albirex BB topped the Sendai 89ers 87-70. A strong start sparked the victory for Niigata, which led 51-28 after two quarters.

Nick Davis (23 points, 13 rebounds), Matt Garrison (18 points, 13 boards) and Jack Hartman (16 and nine) paced the winners.

For Sendai, Michael Chappell scored a team-high 18, Mamadou Diouf added 17 and Kenichi Takahashi had 12. The visiting Toyama Grouses topped the Saitama Broncos 102-89 as Jerod Ward scored 35 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Nate James added 24 points, Nile Murry had 22 and Satoshi Yonemoto nine for the Grouses. For Saitama, Andrew Feeley scored a season-high 34 points on 14-for-20 shooting, Gordon James chipped in with 24 points and grabbed 11 boards and Kazuhiro Shoji had a 14-point outing.

Ex-NBA player David Benoit missed his second straight game for Saitama. The host Oita HeatDevils trounced the Takamatsu Five Arrows 88-61. Oita took a 46-21 lead into the intermission.

Andy Ellis led Oita with 30 points, while Mikey Marshall (16 points, 11 boards), Justin Allen (13 and seven) and Chris Ayer (11) had solid performances as well. (The Japan Times)