Split's atmospheric old city centre gym has seen some historic nights in its time.

The significance might be lost on the locals but, for Brighton Bears and their owner and coach Nick Nurse, this well deserved win here on the banks of the Adriatic counts among the best of them.

Bears at last ended their run of five frustrating defeats in the ULEB Cup, overcoming foul trouble for skipper Randy Duck, forging a ten-point lead and holding firm as American point guard Curtis McCants and back-court whizzkid Roko Ukic looked to lead a late Split revival.

Victory is not enough to lift Bears off the bottom of Group F but the first ever away win on foreign soil is possibly the most notable result in their history and reason for extra celebration when they mark their 30th anniversary this weekend.

Split will not be hanging any commemorative jerseys or putting any momentoes in their magnificent trophy room to mark Tuesday night's historic scoreline.

In fact that same room, which is used to stage press conferences, was turned into a battle ground as the local media tore into home coach Djuro Nenadic for the 'crime' of losing to English opponents.

Meanwhile, Nurse sat quietly and basked in the glory of a job well done.

Bears should have beaten Split's talented but inexperienced line-up back in November when they led by nine points inside the last three minutes.

They eventually lost by a point in overtime because, as Sullivan Phillips pointed out, they stopped attacking and tried to hold on to what they had.

In Split there were no such negative thoughts, even when Split got back to within a point at 80-79 with 2mins 3secs to play.

Andrew Alleyne replied with an acrobatic finish from Kendrick Warren's pass, Split big man Tommy Smith was called for a travel and, when Warren drove to the hoop and finished with a finger roll, there was daylight between the teams again.

Mateo Kedzo got inside for two points but Phillips converted two free throws for an 87-82 lead and Bears finished the job effectively with a Warren put-back and a Duck spin move.

There were so many keys to why Bears won this match.

For a start they gave play-maker McCants no room to drive and commit defenders, with Yorick Williams often the man barring his way.

They also produced big plays when the crowd of around 300 Split diehards started to get behind their side and, most crucially, they got huge performances from everyone in their team.

Duck looked poised for a big night until he got into the foul trouble which limited him to less than 23 minutes of court time.

Into the void stepped Mike Brown, turning the clock back with a masterful display at the point as Split employed an aggressive full court press.

Alongside him Phillips, the quiet man of the party off the court, oozed confidence with the ball in his hands.

Then there were the big men. The stats lines of Alleyne and Warren tell the story vividly.

And the real proof of the strength in depth? An 8-0 run in the second quarter when Duck and Warren were both on the bench.

That helped Bears overcome an early seven-point deficit to lead 41-35 at the half. But a home comeback was always a possibility.

Smith did most to rally the hosts, getting involved at both ends as the gap was cut to 45-43 early in the third quarter.

Cue the first major test of character, one which was passed as Alleyne and Warren finished assists from Phillips, then Phillips showed the self belief to drive straight at Smith and score off the glass.

Split clawed back to 60-60 in the last minute of the third quarter but there was still time for Siemon to score a precious and-one and Warren to end the period with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

When Phillips cleverly created room and hit a tough falling away shot for 71-61 inside the last eight minutes, the contest looked all over.

We should have known nothing would be quite that straight forward in this European adventure.

This time, however, there was no sting in the tail for Nurse's delighted men.