Brighton Bears produced their best display for some time but it was not enough to prevent them slipping to an eighth defeat in the last nine games.

Birmingham Bullets' 81-76 win at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre opens up a four-point gap between them and bottom- of-the-table Bears in the Southern Conference.

Bears record of only three victories in 16 games so far does not compare favourably with the club's position at the corresponding time last season.

They had then won seven of 21 matches and performances in the first four months of the season led to owner Romek Kriwald firing coach Charles Luke-Bannerman and putting his assistant Mark Dunning in charge.

Dunning would have been encouraged by the way his team competed against Bullets, but Bears failure to put together a 40-minute game remains the big problem.

Bullets were unable to impose themselves as they were held 23-23 after the first quarter and the teams crossed over locked together at 39-39.

The hosts eventually broke the game open with a decisive 11-1 burst in the third quarter to go 52-43 ahead.

Birmingham maintained their double- figure advantage until a late Bears rally trimmed the deficit.

A three-pointer by guard Michael Brown made it 79-73 with 35 seconds remaining but Bullets managed to hold on.

England star Yorick Williams hit a game-high 28 points to lead Birmingham, runners-up in the Wembley play-off final last season, to their first championship win for five weeks.

Veteran former Sheffield All Star Wilbur Johnson returned for Bears to fire 22 points and forward Kevin Wallace hit 21 points on his return after two games out with an ankle injury.

Bears top scorers: Johnson 22, Wallace 21, Brown 19.

Bullets top scorers: Williams 28, Bailey 18, Cobbin 16