Short-handed Newcastle Eagles failed to improve on their Super League Basketball Trophy North group record as the first of three games in five days ended in defeat.

In the absence of veteran trio Darius Defoe, Josh Ward-Hibbert and Will Neighbour, the hosts overcame a stuttering start to stamp their authority on an eye-catching clash either side of the half.

But a stirring comeback wasn’t quite enough as Callum Jones’ men saw out an ill-tempered affair down the stretch.

Battling Newcastle clawed back a 19-point deficit to trim Manchester’s lead to just two points with 90 seconds to play.

But on a night when referees Kate Unsworth and Tom Muddiman often appeared out of sync with fellow official Jonpaul Heron, a tense tie erupted at the death.

Furious Eagles playcaller Marc Steutel was convinced Manchester failed to advance the ball beyond halfway in their allotted eight seconds, after a De’Sean Allen-Eikens free throw rimmed out.

To compound the Newcastle coach’s anger, Donovan Mitchell escaped a well-set homecourt trap to find team-mate Makai Ashton-Langford.

And with the home team still nonplussed at a frustrating no-call, Ali Youssouf Ali drained an uncontested nothing but net triple from the far-left corner.

It was all too much for Steutel who felt his players’ pain and — after storming onto court — was promptly ejected as a result of a double technical.

Manchester moved from 80-77 to 85-77 in the blink of an eye and it was game over in the so-called dead rubber that refused to die.

Newcastle’s lacklustre start — the men in black were 30-17 down after the first quarter — perhaps reflected the fact that there was nothing but pride at stake inside the Vertu Motors Arena.

But this Eagles team doesn’t like losing and, despite Sunday’s far more significant Championship trip to Glasgow looming large, an inner will to win fuelled a famous fightback.

Steutel’s men won the next two quarters to put themselves within touching distance of the fast-tiring visitors.

And when Jordan Spencer aced both of his free throws inside the 39th minute, Newcastle were a shot away from taking the lead for just the third time.

That it wasn’t to be for the frustrated hosts shouldn’t detract from a number of positives on a night when the result mattered little.

Sauveur Kande started a competitive clash for the first time this season and the homegrown hero seized his chance with both hands.

An MVP display included 12 points, three rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes as the benchman proved his SLB credentials.

And there was further encouragement for Steutel as Jared Bynum overcame a late injury scare to net a confident 10 points on his homecourt debut.

De’Sean Allen-Eikens’ 13 points, five rebounds and a steal reinforced the rookie’s increasing value to a transitional roster.

And the Eagles finished a fiery 40 minutes with five players in double figures despite missing a number of key men.

Ward-Hibbert is expected to return to action against Caledonia Gladiators on Sunday but neither Defoe nor Neighbour look likely to play anytime soon.

British basketball’s most decorated player has damaged his right Achilles and may not feature again before Christmas.

Neighbour, meanwhile, is awaiting the results of a scan after sitting out much of this season’s Trophy campaign.

And Newcastle are stepping up their efforts to add a new big man to the mix in a bid to maintain an encouraging start to Steutel’s third season at the helm.

The Eagles are away this Sunday in their SLB Championship opener at Caledonia and fans can watch the action live and for free on DAZN.

This coming Tuesday the Netherlands’ Donar Groningen come to Tyneside in the ENBL and tickets for the midweek top-off are available on the box office.