Winning back-to back-games as part of a 1,000-mile road trip was always going to be a tough proposition.

Adding the non-availability of Steve Lepore, who remains stuck in America, and Yorick Williams, due to a shoulder injury, and the task became too difficult for Brighton Bears, who slipped to a seven point defeat at Newcastle last night a day after their Trophy victory at Plymouth.

After a turgid first quarter, in which the team shared a paltry 27 points between them, Bears began the second period in lively fashion with a pair of three-pointer's from Ajou Deng nugding them into a single-point lead.

Strong inside play from Drew Alleyne and Ryan Huntley helped stretch the advantage to seven points, before Newcastle's England star Andrew Sullivan netted the final five points of the first half, to trail 30-32.

The re-start proved to be a nightmare for Brighton.

Their first four offences resulted in two turnovers and two 24 second violations. During the same spell, the Eagles were busy hitting 12 points without reply.

A Bears time-out served to refocus the team, with Alleyne, Huntley and Radhi Knapp providing the impetus to cut the deficit to five by three-quarter time.

Two minutes later, the game was all square at 55-all, but the Eagles hit a spell of six without reply.

A three from Knapp and two more from Alleyne closed the gap to one point at 61-60, only for Newcastle to net a further 7-0 run, leaving Brighton running out of time, ideas and energy.

Down the stretch, Huntley produced a pair of stunning steals, but the Bears failed to turn either into points and Sullivan became the thorn in Brighton's side, converting six out of seven from the free-throw line.

On the whole, it was a poor showing from two very understrength sides, neither of whom were able to shoot the ball with more than 33 per cent accuracy.

The result means that although Bears stay top of the championship table, their game in hand has gone. Let's hope that doesn't prove crucial to their title aspirations.