ASSISTANT coach Steve Fitzsimons believes Solent Stars must develop more staying power if they are to compete with the best in basketball's National Conference League.

Although Stars play well in fits and starts, they have a tendency to switch off at crucial times and Fitzsimons observed: "We have matched every team in the league at some stage or other in the game but we have not been able to sustain the effort for long enough."

Last week's statistics from the defeat at table-topping Plymouth Raiders underline Fitzsimons' point. Almost all the percentages for shooting, rebounding and possession were similar for the two teams, yet Plymouth raced away in the third quarter to put the contest out of Solent's reach.

Tonight (7pm) Stars visit Oxford Devils at the White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon.

The Devils are seventh in the Conference, just above Solent, with an identical record of five wins and six defeats. But Solent have the worst defensive record in the entire league and will need to be at the top of their game to contain a well-organised Oxford team, who triumphed 111-89 at Fleming Park earlier in the season.

The recent arrival of Howard Jackson could make all the difference for the south coast club. The American boosted their scoring power considerably, notching 33 points at Plymouth last week in the 109-100 defeat. Solent's other US import, Dominique Jones, has not been so effective in the scoring department.

Although he is picking up important defensive rebounds, he is under-performing with his outside shooting.

A good result tonight would be a real confidence-booster for Solent who have two home matches next weekend, including a Sunday (February 2) visit from league champions Teesside Mohawks at Fleming Park (3pm).