The fourth round of the FIBA Champions League continued tonight (Tuesday), when Bnei Herzliya surrendered away 63:83 to Spanish Tenerife. Oren Aharoni’s apprentices suffered a second loss in a row at the factory, after in the previous round that Tenerife won by 38 points at the Jubilee Hall in Herzliya.
Already at the beginning of the game it seemed that this was a direct continuation of the previous match between the two. The weak trend of Aharoni and his team was visible throughout the first quarter which ended with a difference of 20 points in favor of the Spaniards. Good points by the Herzliians at the beginning of the second quarter gave a feeling of a certain awakening, but a three-point blitz by the hosts brought the Sharonites to the ground, and they were not allowed to reduce the high difference, which at the end of the first half was set at 27 points.
At the start of the third quarter, it seems that the Spaniards began to play with disdain. Marcelinho Huertes and Giorgi Schramdini led the way with crazy 3-point shots and long passes down the court, and brought their team up 26 at the end of half an hour of play. At the start of the last quarter, Aharoni’s students fought and did not give up easily, and even the 2:17 run they carried from the third quarter was not enough. The Herzliians did not know how to take revenge and recorded a second double-digit loss this season, against the same Spanish opponent in the European factory.
In the next round of the Champions League, Bnei Herzliya will be hosted by Ritas Vilna, which they beat 85:90 in their previous game. Aharoni and his apprentices will hope to improve their positions at home at the expense of the Lithuanians, but not before going through a difficult hurdle against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Hichal, as part of the Winner Basket League four days before.
Bnei Herzliya scored: Maurice Kemp 15 points, Chris Babb 14 points, Julian Gamble 10 points, Yair Kravitz 7 points, Oded Brandwein 6 points, Andy Van Vliet 5 points, Sandy Cohen 3 points, Quinton Hawker 2 points and Guy Artman with 1 point.
Scored for Tenerife: Giorgi Sharmadini 18 points, Marcelinho Huertas 16 points, Sasso Selin 12 points, Jaime Fernandez and Aaron Doornkamp with 9 points each, Bruno Fittipaldo and Elgin Cook 6 points KA, Juan Sestra 3 points and Fran Guerra and Musa Diana with 2 points KA.
First quarter: 14:34 in favor of Tenerife
The Herzliya Quintet: Chris Babb, Sandy Cohen, Julian Gamble, Quinton Hawker and Maurice Kemp.
Five Tenerife: Elgin Cook, Aron Doornkamp, Marcelinho Huertas, Sasso Selin and Giorgi Sharmadini.
The Herzliians opened the first quarter with a basket by Chris Babb, but responded with two three-pointers from the second end. Babb continued with the good start and added a three-pointer, but his teammates often lost and missed shots and let the Spaniards gain a double-digit lead that forced Aharoni to go to a timeout at the end of five minutes of play. A great 3-pointer and an assist by Aron Doornkamp, along with a third 3-pointer by Sasso Selin continued the Spanish run and established a 15-point lead with two minutes left on the clock at the end of the quarter. The Sharonites missed a lot and were unable to reduce the advantage of the host, who added a 3-pointer at the buzzer and established a 20-point difference at the end of the first quarter with 14:34 in favor of Tenerife.
Second quarter: 27:52 in favor of Tenerife
A great dunk by Andy Van Vliet opened the second quarter, to which Morris Kemp added another great dunk of his own. From the other side, the Spaniards answered with two three-pointers and another basket that increased the advantage to 22 points. A good attack by the Herzleins ended with a basket and a foul by Kemp, who was also accurate from the line and slightly sweetened the difference. Both teams kept losing in the following minutes, until Marcelinho Huertes added a three-pointer about three minutes into the half that kept the 20-point difference. Charmadini’s Eli-Hope was answered with a layup by Quentin Hawker on the other end. Losing a ball by Yair Kravitz forced a foul on the host, who hit another 3-pointer by Selin just before the final whistle of the half, and brought the teams to the break with a difference of 25 points with a score of 27:52 in favor of Tenerife.
Third quarter: 46:72 in favor of Tenerife
Giorgi Sharmadini opened the second half with a basket and a foul, Doornkamp added another three, which was answered with a basket by Kemp. A three-pointer by number 11 of Tenerife and the fourth of Celine put the home team ahead by 32 points after three and a half minutes in the half. Babb drew a foul and scored the two points, and immediately after that Kemp with a steal and a dunk managed to reduce the deficit to 28 with only three minutes left in the quarter. Jaime Fernandez also joined in the three-point celebration with a first of his own, and Babb answered with two good penalties from the other side. Kravitz had time to push another three before the end of the quarter, which brought the teams to the break with a score of 46:72 in favor of Tenerife.
Fourth quarter: 63:83 in favor of Tenerife
The last ten minutes opened with two consecutive 3-pointers by Bab and Oded Brandvin, which were added to the 2:17 run at the end of the third quarter in favor of Aharoni’s students and reduced the deficit to only 18 points. A great move by Kravitz ended with a good layup, but from the other side Doornkamp answered with another good shot for three. Another 3-pointer by Kravitz was met with a 3-pointer by Celine on the other end, but Sandy Cohen also entered the list of shots from outside the arc after making his first. The last attempts of the Sharonites to narrow the gap a little were not enough either, and the result of the game was locked with the result 63:83 in favor of Tenerife.