If he had occupied the tiny speck of real estate known as the free-throw line any longer, the authorities would've demanded that Mamadou Diouf start paying rent, and rightfully so.

Mamadou DioufSendai 89ers forward Mamadou Diouf, who scored a game-high 33 points, drives to the hoop against the Tokyo Apache on Sunday at Ariake Colosseum. KAZ NAGATSUKA PHOTO

He was more than an occasional visitor to the charity stripe on Sunday afternoon. It was his home away from home.