A superb individual performance from Earl Brown Jr could not prevent Cheshire Phoenix from going down to a tough 95-84 BBL Cup quarter-final defeat at Newcastle Eagles.
Brown's huge haul of 42 points is the highest of any player in the BBL so far this season.
But his efforts at the Northumbria University proved in vain as the Eagles knocked out the Nix at the same stage of the competition as they did last season.
Orlan Jackman was the stand-out performer for the hosts who are attempting to win the BBL Cup for the third year running.
Jackman scored 26 points, shooting 90%, including a perfect 5/5 from the three-point range, as well as snatching seven rebounds.
In a tight first half, five points in a row from Brown Jr gave the Nix an edge at 33-31 after six first-quarter points from Darius Defoe, who finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, had put Newcastle in the ascendancy.
But a big score from Jackman just before the half was out put the Eagles in front, sparked by an 'and-one' play as he hit six in a row.
At the end of closely fought half between two of the league's highest-scoring teams, Newcastle led 48-45.
Defoe then scored another six in an 8-2 opening to the third period and the Eagles took what proved to be an unassailable lead when Jackman netted seven in a row to send it into double-figures at 68-57.
Newcastle were never going to let that sort of advantage slip on their home floor and, in the fourth quarter, Jackman hit back-to-back three-pointers to see the lead reach its peak at 89-71 after eight unanswered points.
The Nix return to action on Sunday week when they welcome Sheffield Sharks to the Cheshire Oaks Arena.
