Kenichi Takahashi scored a team-best 24 points and handed out six assists in the Sendai 89ers' 81-68 home victory over the Oita HeatDevils on Friday in the bj-league.
Josh Peppers added 13 points, five rebounds and three steals in his season debut for the 89ers (14-9). Gyno Pomare had 13 points and seven boards and Demetrius Guions scored 11 points.
For Oita (8-15), Ricky Woods had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Mike Bell finished with 18 points and Yukinori Suzuki scored nine. The HeatDevils shot 1-for-11 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers in defeat.
In other league news, the Tokyo Apache released veteran big man Nick Davis, the team announced on Friday. The 33-year-old Davis helped transform the Apache into a consistent winner. They improved from 12-28 in 2006-07 to 27-17 the following season, his first with the club and a season capped by Tokyo's first title game appearance (a loss to the Osaka Evessa). A gifted passer, tenacious rebounder and quality shot-blocker, he also played an instrumental role in Tokyo's return to the championship game last season against the Ryukyu Golden Kings.
Davis was named to the bj-league's Best Five team in 2005-06, when he played for the Niigata Albirex BB and helped the team earn a trip to the league's first-ever title game. A University of Arkansas product, Davis averaged 8.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game for the Apache (5-13, league's worst record) in 16 games this season.