Hapoel Tel Aviv stormed back from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat Virtus Bologna 90-81 in Sofia, Bulgaria, improving to 5-2 in EuroLeague play.
Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem remained unbeaten in the EuroCup with a commanding 100-64 victory over Riga Zelli, while Bnei Herzliya fell 86-74 to Porto in Basketball Champions League action.
Hapoel Tel Aviv struggled in the first half as Marcus Carr, Derrick Alston and Tommaso Baldasso helped the Italian visitors build a 48-36 advantage. However, Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad found another gear after the break, dominating the third quarter to take control before pulling away down the stretch.
Zach LeDay led the comeback with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Vasilije Micic scored 16 points, Tai Odiase added 13, and Elijah Bryant contributed 12. Alston and Aliou Diarra each scored 12 for Bologna, with Carr and Baldasso adding 10 apiece.
“We saw a game with two different halves,” Itoudis said. “We came to play a casual game and did not compete in the first half. Bologna crashed the boards and ran and were dominant and deserved to have the lead. We witnessed a different team in the second half, and we said we need to compete.”
EuroCup action improves with balanced offensive performance
Odiase, Bryant and Micic sparked a 17-5 run in the third quarter that tied the game at 53-53. LeDay and Bryant continued to deliver, giving Hapoel a 66-62 lead entering the fourth. Odiase and LeDay maintained the pressure before a Micic three-pointer helped seal the victory.
Virtus coach Alex Mumbru acknowledged his team’s second-half collapse.
“This was two games in one,” he said. “We controlled the rhythm of the offense and played well on defense in the first quarter, but we knew Hapoel would come back and they punished us in the third quarter.”
In EuroCup action in Belgrade, Hapoel Jerusalem improved to 4-0 after overwhelming Riga Zelli 100-64, producing a balanced offensive performance with six players reaching double figures.
The Reds set the tone early with a 16-2 run, led by Dusan Miletic and David Roddy, and carried a 29-20 advantage into the second quarter. Kenny Lofton, Devontae Cacok and Jaleen Smith helped extend the lead to 50-36 at halftime.
Jerusalem continued to pull away after the break, with Roddy and Lofton leading the attack while Nimrod Levi and Yovel Zoosman connected from beyond the arc to make it 77-55 entering the final period. Lofton finished with 18 points, Miletic scored 17, and Roddy added 11. Rolands Sulcs and Martynas Varnas each had 12 points for Riga.
Kept rhythm, took the win
“We kept the same rhythm to the game, and I am happy with the win,” Jerusalem coach Sasa Obradovic said. “We are headed step by step toward where we want to be, as we played consistently throughout the game.”
Lofton, named the game’s MVP, added: “We had a great win and executed in all four quarters. We are going game by game and working on our craft until we have to get ready for the next game.”
In Basketball Champions League play, Bnei Herzliya fell to Porto 86-74 to drop to 0-2 in Group H. Yehu Orland’s team trailed 47-29 at halftime but mounted a spirited third-quarter comeback behind DJ Brewton, who finished with 24 points.
However, Porto held on, led by James Woodard’s 17 points and Corey Allen-Williams’s 15.
“We didn’t have enough assists, and we didn’t shoot the ball well enough, while they did,” Orland said. “We said they could hurt us with three-pointers, and they did. We need to get better, and we will move forward. I can promise that next game will be better.”
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