Basketball: White to the rescue

JOHN WHITE scored a season's best 54 points as Manchester Giants improved their chances of reaching the last eight of the Uni-Ball Trophy with a 121-118 victory over Thames Valley Tigers after two periods of overtime.

White rescued the Giants in the first additional period, nailing a three- pointer on the buzzer to push the game into a second extra session. Tigers' Casey Arena had earlier taken the game into overtime with a three-pointer of his own with the clock running out.

In the United States, the players' union director, Billy Hunter, anxious to close a deal but still fearful of getting a poor result for his members, said negotiations to end the NBA lock-out should resume later this week. He said he was planning to return to New York in an effort to re-open talks.