BBL Cup
Newcastle Eagles 78 (15,30,55) (Smith 25, Chapman 19, Thomson 18)
Glasgow Rocks 75 (16,35,60) (Green 28, Davis 18, Huffor 10)

Not for the first time Charles Smith was the hero for Newcastle Eagles as his three-point shot in the final minute sent the Eagles through to the BBL Cup last four.

It had been hard work for Newcastle all match against a Rocks team without the injured guard EJ Harrison.

But Smith’s three turned a two point deficit into a 76-75 lead and two Andrew Thomson free throws 22 seconds from the end sealed the match as Gareth Murray missed a game-tying three on the buzzer.

Newcastle had overturned a 55-60 scoreline to lead 67-60 through two Darius Defoe free throws before a 7-0 Rocks run tied the match at 67-67.

Glasgow led at 73-75 after player-coach Sterling Davis’s bucket before Smith’s crucial intervention.

Rocks enjoyed the better of the first quarter. An early 3-8 lead was tied at 8-8 by the Eagles but Sterling Davis’s team edged 12-16 ahead before Joe Chapman made a two and then split two free throws to bring Eagles back to 15-16.

Chapman capped a 7-1 start to the second quarter for Eagles to give the home team a 22-17 lead but the Rocks came roaring back to tie the match at 26-26 through Danny Huffor before a Sterling Davis three made it 28-35.

Eagles Charles Smith had the last word of the half to bring Newcastle back to 30-35 at the interval.

Rocks had led 30-40 early in the third quarter and 40-53 before Eagles ended the period on a 15-7 run to trail 55-60 heading into the final stanza.