16 Points for Eliyahu; Israel is Headed for the European Championship!

In one of its best games of all time, the Israeli national team defeated Czech Republic 98 – 61 Saturday night at Nokia Stadium.
The win, paired with Turkey’s 80 – 77 victory over France, automatically qualified the Israelis for the European Championship.
Israel dominated the game from the beginning, and extended its lead every quarter, driven by the knowledge that a victory by 30 or more points would better its chances of qualifying.
Halperin and Tapiro ran the game expertly, aided by the ability of Yaniv Green and Lior Eliyahu to bring the fans at Nokia to their feet with incredible dunks.

The Israeli national team will be participating for the ninth consecutive time in the European Championship for national teams.
Also taking part will be four former coaches from Maccabi Tel Aviv: Zvika Sherf (Israel), Pini Gershon (Bulgaria), Muli Katzurin (Poland), and David Blatt (Russia).

Points scored for Israel: Halperin 25 (7 assists), Tapiro 24 (6 rebounds, 6 assists), Eliyahu 16 (9 rebounds), Limonad 15, Green 14, Kozikaro and Pnini 2 points each.