A disastrous third period put pay to Essex & Herts Leopards’ hopes of landing the National Cup for a fourth time as they slumped to a 98-82 loss against Reading Rockets.
They led after the opening 10 minutes and were only down by five points at half-time at Oaklands as they trailed 44-39.
However, they conceded an 18-point deficit during the first quarter after the break to slump to defeat.
Hazeef Abdul and Jerrelle Okoro both scored 20 points and there was six points for Oaklands junior Toby Gastaldi-Divies after he landed three three-point shots.
Leopards will look to end 2019 with a win when they travel to Leicester Warriors on Saturday.
The game will see a battle between the top flight's top scorers, with Abdul leading the way with an average of 28 points per game ahead of Leicester's TJ Henderson.
Last season the Big Cats completed the double over the Warriors.
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