Brighton Bears kept there play-off hopes alive with the most dramatic of wins.

Having lost the Southern Conference title by a matter of inches, their play-off bid is now gathering pace by a similarly slender margin.

Be it the few inches that prevented Jeremy Hyatt's match-tieing buzzer beater being a decisive three-pointer or the inches by which Rodger Farrington got to the ball to tip in the overtime winner with seven seconds to go, they somehow clawed their way into the semi-finals last night.

It was by the narrowest of margins, pipping Newcastle Eagles 102-101 after overtime.

But it was a contest they should have killed off long before the end.

Nick Nurse's carefully constructed offensive plans had seen his men get to the rim on regular occasions, work clear shooting chances and lead by as many as 13 points going into the fourth quarter at the Coventry Skydome.

Then the roof almost caved in as Newcastle unleashed a series of hit and hope long-range attempts.

Still nine points adrift in the last three minutes, the Eagles were hauled back into it by Hyatt's three.

Albert White appeared to misjudge the clock on Brighton's final possession, giving Newcastle 7.1 seconds to respond.

The unmarked Hyatt duly obliged from just inside two- point territory and, for a few seconds, appeared to think he had been far enough back to win the game.

Instead it was tied at 94-94 going into an extra period in which Bears were almost always behind but never by more than two points.

That was the state of affairs when Malcolm Leak missed a three-pointer with 12.9 seconds to go. Randy Duck broke the Newcastle press to launch a last assault, was fouled by TJ Walker and hit the first free throw.

The second bounced agonisingly on the rim, bobbled over the waiting hands of White and Shawn Myers and fell conveniently for Farrington to tip home.

Even then Brighton had to survive a last frantic flurry before they could celebrate their semi-final place against mighty Chester at Coventry next Sunday.

Coach Nurse said: "We played some good basketball but I suppose we threw it away at the end of regulation time.

"We won on a fluke basket but I honestly think that the best basketball team won this match."

Bears made a great effort to get to the hoop as often as possible, reflected in a 63 per cent success rate from two- point range, though 18 of their 21 three-point shots went astray.

They led 45-39 at the half and played their best stuff of the night early in the third. Sterling Davis, for instance, produced a super bounce pass to put Duck in, then got on the end of a White assist as Bears opened their 77-64 lead.

But Eagles refused to give in and, with Davis out of the game for the closing stages and four other Bears on four fouls, the odds were shifting towards a North Eastern celebration.

Bears' Wilbur Johnson, a key figure with his six-of-ten field shooting, his game-high 13 rebounds and his general authority, said: "When Hyatt hit that last shot, I thought it was a three and we had lost.

"We don't do anything easy but this is play-off basketball and we don't care how many we win by."

Bears socrers: White 30, Duck 21, Johnson 18, Davis 13, Brown 12, Farrington 8.

Bewcastle Eagles scorers: Walker 29, Myers 25, Hyatt 22, Leak 14, Whyte 6, Flournoy 5.