Newcastle Eagles 96

Leicester Riders 90

NEWCASTLE Eagles claimed their sixth BBL Trophy with a 96-90 win over Leicester Riders at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow to keep their hopes of achieving a third clean sweep on track.

Fab Flournoy’s side won their second piece of silverware of the season after a strong finish saw them come out on top in a game that had swung this way and that.

Newcastle outscored Leicester 18-7 over the final four and a half minutes and they did it without player/coach Flournoy, who suffered a nasty injury in the final quarter.

Team captain Charles Smith, who scored 14 points in the final quarter, including four three-pointers, received the MVP honours after his play down the stretch helped the BBL Championship leaders and BBL Cup winners to keep the hopes of a BBL triple crown alive.

There were no early-game jitters from either side, with both teams starting the first period with a barrage of three-pointers. Having gone 5-of-8 from long range in the opening frame, Eagles opened up a 28-24 lead, with Scott Martin leading the way with nine points.

After a positive start, Newcastle slowed down in the second quarter and Riders used this opportunity to level the game at 45-all at the halftime break.

Leicester led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, but Eagles erased the deficit with a 14-4 run. However, a three-pointer by Jamell Anderson right at the buzzer allowed Riders to carry over a two-point edge into the final period.

Trailing by five points midway through the fourth quarter, Eagles clawed back into the game and regained the lead at 90-88 afterSmith nailed a three-pointer to complete the turnaround.

Martin had 20 points, Smith finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Rahmon Fletcher chipped in with 18 points and eight assists.

For Riders, Jamell Anderson had 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, with Neil Watson adding a double-double of 10 points and 13 assists.