Ronnie Baker thought he had seen it all in one of the most distinguished careers in British basketball.

He can boast 20 years as a professional, 149 England caps, various European campaigns and countless medals. Seen it, done it, got the T-shirt (and an NEBL woolly hat).

Then, on a seemingly ordinary Sunday in Leicester, the 36-year-old point guard found himself helping make history as Genesis Brighton Bears won the longest game of topflight basketball ever played in this country.

Bears outlasted hosts Leicester Riders 107-101 after five overtimes in a fiercly contested battle notable for steely defence and some increasingly weary shooting on both sides.

As the final seconds ticked away, Baker looked the freshest man on court.

The legs might have been feeling it a bit yesterday, though, when he reported for the England camp at which he will hear whether he goes to the Commonwealth Games.

Baker admitted: "It was good to make history and it was even better to win the game as well. It was like a boxing match going down to the last round and we wanted it a bit more than they did.

"I've played in something like that before.

I think we had four overtimes in the old Christmas tournament at Crystal Palace.

"This one was tough because we played on Saturday night but we showed a lot of character.

"The adrenalin kept pumping.

Once you stopped playing, you felt it in your legs.

"But it was a good victory.

I'm very proud of the guys."

Before Sunday, the record for the longest top-flight game stood at four overtimes.

London won 112-111 at Doncaster in February, 1995, and Tony Holley's Thames Valley shaded Derby 145-144 in November, 1997.

Holley, who became the league's all-time record defensive rebounder on Saturday, was on the losing end in Sunday's marathon.

The former Bears big man said: "It was one of those games you have to be prepared for. For the most part we were but every time Brighton needed to make plays they made them."

Asked how he felt, Holley said: "I'm tired but I could play again."

Bears' Andrew Alleyne laughed when he became the only player to foul out near the end, mainly because the game was won but also, perhaps, because he could finally take a seat.

Bears coach Phil Waghorn stuck with the same five almost all the way in the extra periods.

Terrance McGee played 62 minutes, a figure matched by his Riders counterpart Ryan Huntley. Alleyne had 61 minutes, Jerry Williams 60, Steve Parillon 58 and Baker, who some Bears fans feel does not get enough court time, played more than 47 minutes.

Waghorn said: "I had confidence in what we were doing. It was a little bit extreme and people were tired but I thought Leicester were tired too.

"Leicester subbed more than we did but who's to say what's right or wrong? We won the game.

"You can over-coach in that situation. I didn't want to dictate something the players were not 100 per cent agreed on so we talked things through."

The gym where it all happened was an unlikely place for such a momentous event.

The ageing John Sandford Centre, not far from the Walker's Stadium, has been condemned to demolition.

It is dingy and basic and, from the far corner, you need decent eyesight to read the only scoreboard. But the low roof and cramped conditions helped generate a great atmosphere, not least when Anthony McHenry's dunk at the end of regulation time was ruled to have come after the buzzer.

Riders were outraged to see the basket wiped off but Waghorn said: "I give credit to the scorers' table. In British basketball you get people from the home area doing the table.

"I saw the clock on 0:00 before the ball went in so it was the right call. But in the heat of the moment with the home coach right there and the crowd going Yeah' they stuck up for themselves."

After that, it was down to endurance and making shots.

Parillon needed his troublesome calf muscles massaged during a timeout before he could shoot two free throws.

Having been so annoyed with his free throw shooting in Saturday's win over Milton Keynes that he stayed on court after the game to practise, Parillon was faultless this time, going six-for-six.

And McGee kept his nerve at the end of the third overtime to sink two from the line and further extend the saga.

He said: "It can be a nerveracking situation if you put yourself in that mindset but we were just all enjoying ourselves.

It was fun basketball."