BRIGHTON BEARS and Leicester Riders rewrote the British basketball record books last night, requiring five periods of overtime to settle their league meeting before Brighton prevailed 107-101.
No game in the history of the BBL had lasted more than four extra periods and the Riders believed they had won the contest in regulation time when Anthony McHenry dunked a pass from Ryan Huntley. But the referees ruled that the basket had been made after the buzzer, forcing the first of the five overtimes, the first four of which ended with the Bears levelling with the final score of the period.
In the ninth period of the evening, and with the game passing the three-hour mark, a three-pointer and two successful free-throws from Terrance McGee, Brighton’s American guard, helped the visiting team to a six-point lead with 80 seconds remaining.
McGee and Jerry Williams, his team-mate, each finished with the top score of 31 points.
Scottish Rocks maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table, beating London Towers 96-81, while Sheffield Sharks, in second place, defeated Birmingham Bullets 97-77.