Essex & Herts Leopards go into 2020 in a relegation dogfight following their 94-85 overtime loss at Leicester Warriors
The Oaklands College-based basketball side had led by as many as 11 and were five up with four minutes of regulation time remaining.
But the final nine minutes of the game saw the home side take control as Leopards fell to their 11th league loss of the campaign.
Coach Thomas Baker said: "Being in a position to win so close to the final whistle, this loss is one of the toughest to take.
"The guys committed to some subtle changes we had made to our game plan and for the most part it was paying off.
"This half of the season has not been what we wanted in terms of results but I believe that after the Christmas break we can come back and change our fortunes."
The Big Cats open the New Year with a trip to fellow strugglers Barking Abbey on Saturday.
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