Maccabi Tel Aviv wants to maintain a perfect balance this season at the Hall, as it hosts Barcelona and Charas at this time as part of the seventh round of the Euroleague. Oded Ketch’s team will try to recover from the painful loss against Baskonia (116:87) last week.
Maccabi, like Barcelona, comes to the match with a 2:4 record in the Euroleague, when so far this season all the victories of the yellow-blues have come at the Menorah Hall. In the Winner Basket league, Maccabi is in first place and is still without a single league loss this season. The team’s last game from Tel Aviv was the 96:74 victory over Hapoel Eilat four days ago.
On the other hand, Barcelona comes to the game after inflicting Scotty Wilvkin’s Fenerbahce with its first loss of the season in the EuroLeague, in a dramatic game that ended in a score of 80:81 for the Catalans. Those who will be missing from the Catalans are Nikola Mirotic and Kyle Coric. The last five games, between Maccabi and Barcelona, ended in victory for the yellow-blues, who want to continue the impressive streak.
First quarter: 20:23 for Barcelona.
Five Maccabi Tel Aviv: Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin, Bonzie Coulson, Alex Poythers, Josh Niebo.
Barcelona five: Thomas Saturnski, Nicholas Provitola, Nikola Kalinich, Strache Shanley, Mike Tobey.
Alex Poythers opened the game with a block on Mike Tobey, but lost the ball on the ensuing drive. Both teams struggled in the opening scoring, with Mike Tobey getting on the board first with a dunk. Lorenzo Brown scored the yellows’ first basket after almost two minutes of play. Nicolas Provitola and Tomas Saturnski scored two three-pointers and put the Catalans up 4:8, but a basket and a foul by Baldwin reduced the difference to just one point after four minutes of the start of the match.
The Argentinian center and Tobi scored two more three-pointers and both teams went to a timeout at 11:14 for the Spaniards. Adams reduced it to a point, Tobi blocked Nivo and Laprobitola with his third three-pointer increased the difference to 13:17. The visitor made her points from the line, but John DiBartholomeo scored Maccabi’s first three-pointer to reduce the score to 18:20. A basket by Bonzie Colson brought the teams down to the break between the quartersResult 23:20 for Barcelona.
Second quarter: 40:43 to Maccabi Tel Aviv
John DiBartholomew scored his second three-pointer in the match and jumped the hall on the way to a tie 23:23. Alex Abrins hit the Catalans’ sixth 3-pointer, but Jarrell Martin cut it to a point with a resounding dunk. Baldwin continued to be the hot man in yellow and put the yellows ahead 26:27 two and a half minutes into the quarter, after which Aras took a timeout. Coulson started to get into the rhythm as well with a three-pointer from the corner, but Baldwin committed two fouls (normal and technical) one after the other and went to the bench.
Shanelli tied the score at 30:30 and both teams were unable to find the ring for two minutes, at the end of which they went to a timeout. Adams interrupted the series of fouls and returned the yellows to the lead. Brown scored four straight points, but Proprofitola’s fourth 3-pointer tied the score again at 36:36 with two minutes to go. Four more consecutive points by Brown, from the line and in a burst, put the Yellows ahead by 4 and Sharas called a timeout. Jan Wesley and Corey Higgins brought the Catalans back to parity and this time it was Oded Ketch’s turn to take a timeout. Poythers stole and again Colson scored the final points of the quarter, this time on the buzzer andtook down the yellows with a 40:43 lead at the break.
Third quarter: 61:62 for Barcelona
Josh Nieveau increased the Yellow lead to five points, 40:45, but Saturnski cut back inside the paint. Kalinic with a resounding dunk responded to Adams’ basket, but Nieveau restored the lead to five. Probitola with two consecutive triples equalized the result back to 50:50. Wesley and Toby continued the Catalan run to 0:10, but Baldwin was able to stop with his first two points of the second half.
Saturnski with two points increased the lead to 4, 52:56. Both teams went to a timeout after a foul by Coulson, from which the guest went up and lost her eighth ball of the game. Austin Hollins went on the floor for the first time and responded with two points 2:40 minutes to the end of the quarter and narrowed the gap to 56:54. Baldwin with the first three-pointer returned the advantage to the yellow side, Nibo did not receive a foul and Ketch received a technical foul. Proprofitola scored from the line, Abrins scored a three-pointer and the Catalan advantage suddenly increased to five points. Adams hit twice from the line andBarcelona went into the break with a 61:62 advantage over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Fourth quarter:
Corey Higgins opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer that increased the lead to four points, but Wesley committed a fourth foul and went to the bench with nine minutes left. The Yellows failed to score a field goal and Tovi punished with a 3-pointer that increased the gap to eight points, 70:62, and made Ketch call a timeout 5:48 minutes to the end of the game. The field goal had not yet arrived and Corey Higgins brought the difference to double digits for the first time, 73:62. Nivvo drew the fifth foul from Shanali and managed to score the yellows’ first field goal after 5 minutes, which narrowed the gap to 73:67. Baldwin received a second technical foul and was ejected from the game.