SOLENT STARS 98 (21, 53, 81) - COVENTRY CRUSADERS 89 (17, 39, 59)

SOLENT Stars made it three league wins in a row with their first away victory of the season against Coventry Crusaders on Saturday night.

Alan Cunningham's men stepped up their late charge for a play-off spot in the English Basketball League Division 1 thanks to a superb team effort spearheaded by their free-scoring Americans Marlin Capers and Larry Parker.

Between them, the US pair were responsible for all of Solent's first-quarter points, but it wasn't for want of trying by Paul Silcox and Ollie Marsh, who both had three-point efforts roll around the ring before falling outside the basket.

A Capers three-pointer right on the buzzer put Solent 21-17 clear in an opening quarter which saw the lead change hands seven times, but with neither team able to establish dominance.

The second quarter started with Capers triggering a flurry of four three-point successes inside five minutes. A Chris St Omer lay-up ended the monopoly of Solent's American scoring, followed by a three-pointer from Graham Hunter. Those two were the only other contributors to the Solent total as Capers and Parker continued to plunder points en route to a 53-39 half-time lead.

Failed shots by Ollie Marsh, Mark Jackson and Parker and some poor defensive work forced coach Cunningham to call an early time-out in the third quarter. Coventry had pulled back to a ten-point deficit, but Solent were soon on track again thanks to five quick points from Jackson and a Hunter three-pointer that carried them to their biggest lead of the evening, 79-54, with 11 minutes remaining.

Cunningham and assistant coach, Steve Chant, gave some of Solent's less experienced players valuable court time in the last quarter.

Coventry exploited their superior height and weight advantage to edge back into the game and, by the fifth minute, had outscored Stars 14-2 to trim the lead back to ten points.

But the reintroduction of Stars' starting five was enough to maintain the status quo and Solent rode out the last five minutes having subdued a spirited Coventry fightback.

This weekend Solent are at home to National Cup winners, Reading Rockets, in a game that will test their new-found confidence.

Solent scorers: Marlin Capers 45, Larry Parker 29, Mark Jackson 8, Graham Hunter 6, Chris St Omer 4 Paul Silcox 4 Ollie Marsh 2.

SOLENT Stars' women's second team are through to the semi-finals of the English Basketball League Division 2's National Cup.

Despite the absence of injured duo Kath Hield and Christie Rourke, they returned from their third successive weekend in Cardiff with a 60-53 victory over UWIC Stealers.

A couple of Jodi Jerram three-pointers helped carry Solent into an 8-0 lead, but two bursts of point-scoring turned the tables Stealers' way before Stars' junior Holly Over responded with four points in the final minute of the quarter.

By the end of the half, Stealers were 31-23 ahead, but with seven-point Shelley Steele at the fore, Solent managed to slice the deficit to just one point, 39-38.

In the fourth period, Stars dug deep into their reserves of team effort and fighting spirit to outscore the opposition 22-14. They are still awaiting news of the semi-final draw.