The Tokyo Apache opened their 2007-08 campaign with an 84-65 victory over the visiting Saitama Broncos on Saturday afternoon at Ariake Colosseum.
Center Nick Davis, an offseason free-agent pickup, scored a game-high 25 points and pulled down 21 rebounds, Dameion Baker had 15 points, Masashi Joho scored 11 and John "Helicopter" Humphrey, the two-time bj-league scoring champion, had 10.
Darin Satoshi Maki led the Apache with four assists. Gordon James had 10 points and 20 rebounds for the Broncos in David Benoit's head coaching debut and frontcourt mate Andrew Feeley scored 18 points and Ryuichi Horikawa added seven.
Elsewhere Saturday, the Oita HeatDevils held off the expansion Ryukyu Golden Kings' fourth-quarter rally in a 72-70 victory at the Okinawan Convention Center.
It was the first regular-season game in franchise history for Ryukyu coach Hernando Planells' team. Five Golden Kings scored in double figures: Eric Walton (15), Danny Jones (14), Shigeyuki Kingo (13) and Naoto Takushi and Kevin Steeberge (12).
Andy Ellis' 20 points led Oita, which trailed 42-30 at the half. The host Takamatsu Five Arrows defeated the Niigata Albirex BB 86-77. Steve Horne (20 points) led the way for the Five Arrows, and Rodney Webb was Niigata's top scorer with 20.
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