HAVING ended last season empty-handed, Newcastle Eagles have blown a glorious opportunity to edge significantly closer to landing silverware this time around.

Fab Flournoy and his team were in a commanding position during this BBL Cup semi-final first leg but imploded during the second half and squandered a massive 21-point lead.

It resulted in the hosts seizing the initiative and coming back from the dead to produce a rare tie and, more importantly, establish momentum and confidence heading into this week’s second leg.

Things could bit have gone any better for the visitors before the interval as they picked up seamlessly from where they left off 24 hours earlier in their destruction of Plymouth Raiders.

The Eagles raced out of the blocks and before half-time had even arrived they left their hosts stunned by doubling their tally at 42-21.

Paul Gause and Charles Smith were the main architects of an excellent display offensively, while the Eagles’ defence was outstanding.

They even managed to lock down Great Britain captain and former player Drew Sullivan, who was scoreless heading to the locker rooms.

The visitors could bit have dreamed of being in such a commanding position against a club such as the Riders, who have been the other form team in the BBL this season.

Whatever the plan was for the second half, though, it failed miserably as the lead evaporated in worrying fashion.

By the end of the third quarter, the advantage was still in double digits at 65-55, but the Eagles looked tired and running on empty.

The Riders sensed blood and put their foot on the gas to catapult themselves back into the tie and revive their hopes, which at one point had looked distinctly faint.

Led by the unstoppable shooting power of Bradd Wierzbick, who poured in 32 points, the Riders even had the audacity to take the lead in the closing minutes – meaning things could have been even worse for the crestfallen Eagles.

However, they did not let the slide continue and showed enough mental strength in the last minute to escape with a tie, which in itself seemed ludicrous taking into account their first-half superiority.

It means the semi-final still sits on a knife edge with both clubs bidding to book their spot in the final in Birmingham in January.

NEWCASTLE: Gause 22, Smith 18, Chapman 15.

LEICESTER: Wierzbicki 32, Hardy 18, Royston 16