It was the hosts who would grab the spoils in that one following a big fourth-quarter comeback, and home sides also claimed the remaining three NBL games this weekend.
Solent put on a show for the NBL Live crew as they knocked off local rivals Worthing, whilst Derby and Nottingham also secured valuable wins.
We have a recap of the games below, and each result is also clickable if you wish to view the live stats.
With the NBL Live cameras in attendance, Solent stayed perfect on the season as they beat Worthing 108-75.
Winning the opening quarter 25-16, Solent would never trail in the contest and their advantage passed the 30-point mark with just under four minutes remaining.
It was a dominant performance from the reigning D1M champs, led by guard Ian Smith. The American closed on 29 points to go with seven assists, though he did have an uncharacteristic pair of turnovers.
Andre Arissol, Travis Charles, Brendan Okoronkwo and Elliot Dadds all scored 14 or more, with Orlan Jackman controlling the glass to finish with a game-high 13 boards.
Playing without Cam Hildreth, Worthing were paced by Howard Crawford's 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.
After two straight defeats, Newcastle bounced back to beat Loughborough 77-74.
Trailing 63-50 as the fourth quarter began, Newcastle couldn't be stopped as they stormed back into contention, taking the lead with just eight seconds to go thanks to a Brandon Federici three pointer.
Federici's late dagger capped a 27-11 final quarter that left Loughborough with a long and no doubt disappointing journey back to the Midlands, wondering what might have been had Jozef Bielak and Harrison Gamble not had late three point attempts blocked by Ronald Blain.
The American's defensive heroics complimented an impressive offensive performance, finishing with 25 points as guard David Moya led all scorers with 26 points.
Loughborough's Kyle Jimenez continued his incredible form to begin the season, though his near triple-double of 13 points, 16 assists and nine boards wasn't enough to see the Riders home.
Riders fall to @TeamNewcBball in the @NBLengland #WhereHistoryBegins #BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/bh8JGGPwUV
— Loughborough Basketball (@lborobasketball) December 12, 2020
In the Midlands clash between the Trailblazers and Leicester Warriors, it was Derby who came out on top 88-48.
Never trailing, Derby restricted their opponents to just 14 first-half points on the way to a 28-point advantage with 20 minutes remaining.
It didn't get any better for the visitors as the deficit steadily grew, with five Derby players all scoring 14 or more. Oli Stanley's 16 point, 18 rebound effort was a highlight, Leon Henry was the top scorer for Leicester with 10.
Finally, Nottingham picked up their second win of the season as they eased past previously unbeaten Bradford 80-62.
Victor Olarerin (22pts) and Delaney Powell (23pts) combined for over half of Nottingham's points, as the duo both recorded an impressive eight steals.
That allowed the Hoods to clock 36 points off turnovers, more than enough to see them past the Dragons.
The visitors were led by Ricky Fetske, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
12pm - Derby Trailblazers 88-48 Leicester Warriors - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
3:30pm - Team Solent Kestrels 108-75 Worthing Thunder - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
3:30pm - Nottingham Hoods 80-62 Bradford Dragons - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
4pm - Team Newcastle University 77-74 Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS
Main image credit - Luke Simcock
.
