The Eagles took control early in the game with 11-4 run on their way to establishing a 29-20 lead by the end of the opening period.

The home side pushed their advantage on into double digits in the second quarter to lead 46-28 at the halfway point before the Lions closed the gap in the third.

But Newcastle held their nerve to secure their fourth straight win in the competition, Charles Smith leading the way with 28 points and Andrew Thomson adding 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Second placed Worcester Wolves were put firmly in their place by Leicester Riders, who ran out 91-68 winners in the East Midlands to condemn the Wolves to their first defeat in nine games.

A tight opening saw the Wolves grab a 5-12 lead only for the hosts to respond with a 12-2 surge before Tommy Freeman followed up his early scores with a triple to tie the game at 21 after ten minutes.

But the Riders outgunned the Wolves in the second and third quarters, leading 49-0 at the halfway point before stretching their advantage to 74-56 going into the final period.

They quickly put the game to bed with a 12-2 push at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 86-58 and then saw the game out in comfort to claim a third straight league win and their fourth in a row at home.

The Cheshire Jets moved into a playoff spots after inflicting a third straight defeat on the One Health Sharks Sheffield at the English Institute of Sport.

Adam Brown turned in a match-winning performance with 22 points and seven assists as the Jets claimed a 78-72 win in South Yorkshire.

Matt Schneck also added 16 points and seven rebounds for the visitors, while the Sharks were led by a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds from Mike Tuck.