Milton Keynes 77 Bears 82: Brighton Bears' epic title chase will go down to the last weekend of the season after another thrilling fightback.

Last night Nick Nurse's men trailed by 14 points midway through the third period to a Milton Keynes side desperate for a win to clinch their play-off ticket.

But Bears have made a habit of dramatic recoveries against the Lions this season and, once they started to grab a few rebounds and shift the momentum of the match, the hosts visibly wilted.

A 10-0 run in the final five minutes proved decisive and allowed their noisy supporters to sing their hearts out in celebrating as the closing moments were played out.

Now skipper Randy Duck and his men must beat Chester Jets, who were crowned Northern Conference Champions last night, at The Triangle tomorrow to set up a possible title decider with Birmingham at the same venue the following afternoon.

Albert White had another huge night, adding 12 rebounds to his game-high 27 points and looking a real force when he went to the hoop rather, than putting up hopeful three-point attempts.

This was a Bears performance notably for sheer determination and will to win, whether it be the way they stepped up their defensive effort when most needed, some key plays by Sterling Davis when his side were struggling to get to the basket or the sight of Mike Brown diving at the feet of Andrew Alleyne, goalkeeper style, to salvage a crucial possession in the final quarter.

Coach Nurse admitted: "That was as hard fought a win as you will see.

"For the first seven minutes and the last 15, we played our backsides off. The upswing I was looking for is getting there.

"Our biggest problem is that we had so many fouls called against us in the first half, we were just trying to keep the deficit down and not get in any more trouble.

"We went to a zone defence which we haven't been in for a long time and they struggled against it. Now let's see people give us their support at The Triangle and help us win this Conference, which I think we deserve to do."

Bears' slick start saw them open a 20-10 lead but it was never likely to remain that straightforward.

Lions duly replied with a 17-1 run either side of the first interval, seemingly fired up by an off-the-ball clash involving their player/coach Nigel Lloyd, and further stoked when Nurse was later given a technical foul.

Bears let it all get to them for a while, committing handling mistakes and seeing a string of hotly debated calls go against them.

Errol Seaman went to four fouls while Davis and Brown had three apiece, giving Nurse more than just a 46-39 deficit to worry about at half-time.

Successive dunks from Jermaine Brown and Jason Siemon helped extend that to a 14-point gap midway through the third quarter before Bears launched their comeback.

When Davis outwitted Siemon for a three-point play it brought the deficit back to four and, although Leon Noel responded, Bears were back in it at 66-60 adrift at the third interval. Within three minutes that had been turned into a 68-66 lead, the run crowned by a fabulous move from White doing what he does best, terrifying defenders on his way to the rim.

Lions edged back in front but a rare White three-pointer, followed by a three-point play from Duck, restored the Brighton lead and they were never under real threat in the closing three minutes.

Milton Keynes Lions: Lloyd 16, Siemon 15, Alleyne 14, Payne 9, J Brown 9, Noel 6, Spinks 5, Russell 3.

Brighton Bears: White 27, Davis 18, Duck 13, Johnson 12, Farrington 8, M. Brown 4.

Worthing Thunder also face an important weekend as they host Manchester Magic tomorrow (8pm) in an NBL Conference four-pointer as the two teams jostle for a favourable play-off seeding.