The Ryukyu Golden Kings look like a title contender. Their latest victory, a thorough 105-71 shellacking of the Toyama Grouses, was a bold reminder of the team's across-the-board strengths.

Shooting guard Naoto Kosuge led Ryukyu (26-15, tied for first in the bj-league's Western Conference) wit 24 points, David Palmer had a 19-point effort and Shigeyuki Kinjo put 16 points on the board. Anthony McHenry had a triple-double (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, as well as three steals) and Tsubasa Yonamine also dished out 10 assists and scored eight points. Jeff Newton and Dillion Sneed each scored 10, with Newton grabbing eight boards and handing out four assists for good measure. Ryukyu coach Dai Oketani's club has won five of its last six games. In the series opener, the Golden Kings flushed 11 of 19 3-point shots. They had 30 assists to Toyama's 14.

For Toyama (12-15), John Davis scored 29 points with nine rebounds and Takeshi Mito added 17 points in the series opener in Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture.