The Eagles loss is their first in five BBL Championship games, while the Rocks' victory is their first in five games. Despite their 85-77 defeat, the Eagles remain top of the league, four points clear of second place Worcester Wolves whom they face on Friday. The result has moved the Rocks within a single victory of securing a play-off spot and means they could potentially qualify on Wednesday if Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders defeat Cheshire Jets.

DeAundre Cranston's seventeen first half points and a 15-5 charge just before half-time proved key as the Rocks raced out to a 49-37 half-time lead at Kelvin Hall and the Rocks continued to build on that in the third quarter as they extended the lead to 16, before the Eagles pulled it back to 67-56 after the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Eagles continued to pull back and a Charles Smith three-pointer assisted by Joe Chapman had the Eagles just four points adrift at 74-70 with 4:23 remaining. However, tough Rocks defence saw the Eagles miss seven shots in a row. The Eagles' own strong defence kept them in the game, however, and when Andy Thomson broke the run they found themselves only down 81-77 with 26 seconds remaining. But that run proved enough and the Rocks were able to see the game out at the free-throw line.

DeAundre Cranston led all scorers with 25 points for the Rocks and made 11 of his 12 field-goal attempts in the game, with his only miss coming from beyond the arc. His teammate Mychal Green earned a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 12 boards. For the Eagles, Paul Guase top scored with 24, while Joe Chapman managed 23 points.

Meanwhile at the Northgate Arena, Cheshire completed a weekend double with an 80-75 victory over fellow play-off chasers Guildford Heat. The victory leaves Cheshire in the eighth and final play-off berth with nine wins from 25 games - a win behind seventh-placed Guildford and a win ahead of both Prestige Homes MK Lions and Mersey Tigers in ninth and tenth spots respectively.

Jets respond

After an evenly-fought first two quarters that saw the Heat take a 39-36 lead, Guildford started the second half strongly with a 10-2 mini-break to lead 49-38. However, Cheshire soon responded by going on a 15-0 charge led by 6 points from Adam Brown to lead 61-58 heading into the final period. Cheshire extended the lead to seven in the final stanza, but Guildford had it cut to two heading into the final plays. However, a missed Martelle McLemore three-pointer and a block by Bill Cole on another McLemore shot meant the Jets were able to see the game out at the free throw line.

Adam Brown led all scorers with 30 points for Cheshire, 21 of them coming in the second half as the Jets fought back after trailing by as many as twelve points. His teammate Matt Schneck amassed an impressive double-double of 17 points and 19 rebounds. For the Heat, Tayo Ogedengbe top scored with 20 points.

In Sunday's other game, UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders defeated Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 93-81 on Sunday afternoon to keep up the pressure on the top spots and claim the potentially vital head-to-head series over the Riders. An eighth consecutive victory in the BBL Championship sees the Raiders third in the table, three wins behind leaders Newcastle Eagles after their loss at Glasgow Rocks but with a game in hand. The Riders meanwhile find themselves in fourth spot, two games behind the Raiders.

The eventual result didn't seem on the cards as the Riders started the game well, leaping out into a 14-4 lead with GB captain Drew Sullivan contributing 6 of Leicester's points. However, after Plymouth hit back, going on 10-0 and 12-0 runs, they were able to head into half-time with a 52-43 lead. Drew Sullivan gave Leicester some hope as he sparked a 10-0 charge that had them back within 3 points of Plymouth with 7:55 left in the third, but Plymouth were able to respond by outscoring them 19-7 to head into the final period leading 75-60. Leicester managed to close the gap a little in the final quarter, reducing the final deficit to 93-81.

Paul Williams led the Raiders scorers with 26 points and also picked up 12 rebounds to achieve a double-double, while Jeremy Bell scored 21 points for the Raiders, but it was Leicester's Bradd Wierzbicki who led all scorers with 28 points.