Quarterback Ryohei Takahashi rushed two yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown to break a 7-7 tie as the Nihon University Phoenix defeated the Waseda University Big Bears 14-7 on Sunday at Amino Vital Field in Chofu, Tokyo.

The Phoenix stayed undefeated with a 3-0 record while the Big Bears (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season in the Kanto Collegiate League's Top 8 Division.

The Big Bears took a 7-0 lead when freshman quarterback Haruki Takanashi threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Takeru Yoshihara with 7:13 remaining in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Takahashi completed three consecutive passes to Yoshimasa Iwamatsu — the third one a 15-yard scoring toss — to cap a five-play, 59-yard game-tying drive.

The game turned into a defensive battle after it became tied, with neither team able to score for the next 11 minutes, 39 seconds. But finally the Phoenix broke the deadlock in the final period.

Starting at their own 22, the Phoenix, usually a pass-happy offensive team, rallied on the ground, using 11 running plays in a 16-play drive, which was capped by Takahashi's two-yard run. They converted a fourth-and-one and got help from a pass-interference penalty by the Big Bears during the drive.

The Big Bears marched to the Nihon 21 with 40 seconds remaining, but they had three straight incomplete passes and a six-yard pass on fourth-and-10, falling short of keeping the final drive alive.

In other games on Sunday at Amino Vital Field, Chuo University (1-2) beat Rikkyo University (0-3) 31-7 while Meiji University (1-2) won 30-7 over Nippon Sports Science University (0-3).