The Alvark Tokyo opened the second half of the B. League season with a methodical 91-80 victory over the Sendai 89ers on Tuesday night.
Tokyo won the rebounding battle (50-36) and sealed the victory at the free-throw line, draining 17 of 18 shots.
Troy Gillenwater scored 22 points for the Alvark (23-5), adding eight rebounds and five assists. All-Star power forward Joji Takeuchi contributed 18 points and seven boards for Tokyo, which led 46-34 at halftime. Teammate Shohei Kikuchi added 13 points and four assists, while All-Star Diante Garrett poured in 11 points with nine rebounds and three assists. Fellow All-Star Daiki Tanaka finished with nine points.
Wendell White paced Sendai (8-22) with 21 points. Tshilidzi Nephawe scored 15 points and corralled 10 rebounds. Kaito Ishikawa had 12 points and five assists and Ryunosuke Yanagawa added 10 points with four assists.
The 89ers were held to 6-for-25 shooting from 3-point range. The Alvark didn't fare much better, making 6 of 21.
Notes: The league's inaugural All-Star Game was held on Sunday at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. ... Fourteen teams will be in action on Wednesday night.
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