Six Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix players scored in double figures as the hosts earned a 90-70 win over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Friday night in the bj-league.
Wayne Arnold paced the Phoenix (17-10 overall, 3-0 since Lawrence Blackledge joined the squad) with 20 points. Blackledge, who began the season with the Osaka Evessa, had 12 points and six blocked shots for the two-time defending champions.
Floor leader Jermaine Dixon added 14 points, eight assists and three steals for Hamamatsu, while Shoji Nakanishi scored 13, Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 12 and Atsuya Ota had 10.
The Phoenix took a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Niigata, which entered the game with a 2-0 record against Hamamatsu this season, fell to 16-11.
Nile Murry scored a team-high 20 points for the Albirex. Erron Maxey had an 18-point outing and Kimitake Sato contributed 11 points.
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