Cheyne Gadson strode into the Triangle with an NBA logo emblazoned on the back of his jacket, kicked off proceedings with a three-pointer and a dunk and had 20 points by half-time.

But it was what the guard from New Jersey did in the final moments of his first start which might convince Brighton Bears they have somebody special for the British League run-in.

Gadson's 30-point display came to the boil after Milton Keynes Lions had turned a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter into a one-point lead.

The man who insists he can use a few weeks with Bears as a stepping stone to the NBA forced his opposite number Kevin Griffin to the bench with five fouls, then gave Kingsley Hudson nightmares.

He led a 13-2 run which took Bears from a worrying 67-66 deficit with 3:28 to go to the comfort zone of a 79-69 lead in the last 30 seconds.

Gadson's quality is not in doubt, certainly not from coach Nick Nurse or the man he replaced, Ryan Huntley. What remains to be seen is whether he has Huntley's cool touch under pressure.

There was certainly panic spreading around a packed Triangle on Saturday.

Gadson, though, said: "When it gets to situations like that I try to take my man on the dribble and see what happens.

"When it comes down to the wire I love to have the ball in my hands any time.

"I enjoyed it. The fans were into it, I was into it, all the players were into it, it was a great moment."

Word will get around the league about what Bears' new hot-shot can do and scouting reports might mention fallibility at the free throw line. He missed five of nine on Saturday but insisted: "You won't see that ever again. That was probably the worst free throw night in my life.

"I was shooting a whole lot of free throws in practice recently and making them. It was the wrong time to miss."

Nurse enjoyed the way Gadson took things over late on. He said: "It's really key to have a guy who can break people down off the dribble in close games."

For all that, if you were picking a Bears MVP, Gadson would be run close by Steve Lepore.

Not because Lepore regained his three-point shooting touch, missing seven of nine, but because he conjured big plays when needed, chipped in with six rebounds and snuffed out big-scoring Brett Longpre.

Longpre has hit more three-pointers than anybody else in the league but made just two of 12 this time, the second with 12 seconds to go. He went pointless in the first half.

Bears fans were jubilant at half-time as their team used a 21-4 charge to go in with a 43-26 lead. So too, it transpired, were the players.

Asked why Bears let their visitors back into the game, Nurse said: "Premature celebration at half-time. We weren't ready to come back out and play."

One play in that captivating second quarter had Nurse punching the air as Andrew Alleyne's lofted pass picked out Gadson's cut to the basket.

Alleyne quickly picked up his second and third fouls in the third quarter and was benched with his team 15 points clear.

When he returned in the fourth, Lions led by one, and he was quickly whistled again for a charge on Shawn Jamison.

Bears, though, forced Lions to miss regularly from the perimeter and saw Ajou Deng hoover up the rebounds.

They hit the front with 3:13 to go when Tony Holley hit two free throws before a Lepore three offered breathing space.