The Takamatsu Five Arrows earned a weekend split against the Niigata Albirex BB on Sunday, closing out the two-game series with a 90-82 victory on the road. The Five Arrows and Albirex, who share identical 17-11 records, remain two games behind the league-leading Osaka Evessa (19-9), who beat the Saitama Broncos on Friday and Saturday.
Power forward Reggie Warren produced a team-best 25 points and 13 rebounds for Takamatsu. Teammate Yu Okada scored 17, Julius Ashley added 16 points, nine boards and three assists, Kazuyuki Nakagawa contributed 13 points, and Isaac Sojourner had 10 points and seven boards.
For Niigata, Nick Davis led the way with 21 points, Jack Hartman added 14, Makoto Hasegawa 13 and Naoto Kosuge 11. The host Oita HeatDevils edged the Toyama Grouses 88-86, less than 24 hours after beating the expansion club by 30. In Sunday's triumph, Oita's Andy Ellis had a game-high 30 points.
Teammate Mikey Marshall (16 points, seven rebounds, four assists) and Chris Ayer (12 points) also played key roles for the HeatDevils. Jerod Ward's 27 points led the Grouses, while Nile Murry had 23, Nate James 18 and Takanori Goya, the top pick in last year's draft, chipped in with nine. (The Japan Times)