All-Star forward Lynn Washington scored 25 points to lead a balanced offensive attack in the Osaka Evessa's 95-79 road win over the Kyoto Hannaryz on Monday.
David Palmer added 18 points and Nile Murry finished with 16 for the Evessa (31-18), who improved to 5-0 against the expansion Hannaryz. Teammates Shota Konno and Jason Klotz scored 12 points apiece, while Ryan Blackwell contributed six points, six rebounds and six assists.
Kyoto's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Reda Rhalimi each scored 27 points for the first-year bj-league club and Kyosuke Setoyama scored 11 points. John Clifford grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds and Rhalimi hauled in 14 boards, while Naoto Takushi added eight points and three assists.
The Hannaryz (16-33) trailed 71-57 entering the fourth quarter, and Osaka's lead stretched to 19 moments later.
The host Takamatsu Five Arrows open their series against the Rizing Fukuoka on Tuesday.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.