Jo Kurino enjoyed a successful debut game with the Tokyo Apache, scoring a season-high 12 points in a 109-95 victory over the Sendai 89ers on Saturday at Ariake Colosseum.
Kurino was traded from the Oita HeatDevils earlier in the week. His new club scored 64 second-half points and outscored the visitors 30-16 in the final frame.
John "Helicopter" Humphrey led Tokyo with 30 points and added 11 rebounds and five assists. Kohei Aoki added 17 points and a season-best eight assists, while Dameion Baker and Jumpei Nakama scored 14 points apiece.
Ryan Blackwell's 24 points led Sendai. In other bj-league action Saturday, the visiting Osaka Evessa completed a weekend sweep of the Saitama Broncos, grabbing a 75-66 win.
Lynn Washington had 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists and David Palmer poured in 17 points for Osaka, while Marcus Toney-El's 19 points led Saitama. The host Oita HeatDevils routed the Toyama Grouses 91-61 as Mikey Marshall and Andy Ellis scored 20 points apiece. In a showdown of second-place teams, the Niigata Albirex BB defeated the visiting Takamatsu Five Arrows 89-71, improving to 17-10 in the process.
Matt Garrison had a game-high 26-point effort for Niigata and Jack Hartman netted 21. Reggie Warren (21 points) and Kazuyuki Nakagawa (15 points) paced Takamatsu.