Mersey Tigers 69 (Wait 22, Schall 10, Lockett 10, Bigley 10)
Newcastle Eagles 92 (Defoe 26, Chapman 17, Smith 15)

Newcastle Eagles did what they needed to do to keep alive their outside hopes of winning the BBL Championship.

Their comfortable win at bottom placed Mersey Tigers was built on 26 points from Darius Defoe and ensured that their hosts remain without a victory.

A strong first quarter, which saw the Eagles score the last nine points capped by a Charles Smith (pictured) three, put them 22-11 ahead.

And they repeated the trick in the second – this time going into the half time break on a 19-6 tear.
The match was tighter after the interval with Eagles lead in the third quarter peaking on Smith’s two at the buzzer, which made it 70-44.

Newcastle’s largest advantage of the night was 72-44 early in the final stanza, but it was Tigers who won the quarter as the reduced the deficit to 19 (82-63) at one point.