The Yellow & Blue improve their record to 7:0 on the season after the win in Romema. Quincy Acy hit all four of his shots from downtown for 24 points and 9 rebounds. On Tuesday: Maccabi head up north to Nahariya
Coach Sfairopoulos decided to start the game with Nate Wolters, Yovel Zoosman, Elijah Bryant, Quincy Acy, and Othello Hunter in his opening five. The home team began strong with a 13:3 advantage, but Wolters and Zoosman led a 7:0 Maccabi run to cut the lead to 13:10. Threes by Acy and Tyler Dorsey kept the Yellow & Blue close to the Green’s 20:22. The top scorer of the first, Roman Sorkin managed to hit another shot from deep, but on the other end, Deni Avdija scored two to bring the first period to a close, 22:27 Haifa.
Acy and the captain John DiBartolomeo turned the score around for the Yellow & Blue with 9 unanswered points, giving the visitors their first advantage of the day, 39:34. The score stayed tight throughout the quarter, but then, Maccabi stopped the hosts scoreless for 4 straight minutes as Hunter scored 6 consecutive points. Going into the half, Acy opened a double-digit lead, 51:41.
The Israeli champions momentum continued into the third, Zoosman scored from outside as Wolters, Bryant and two three’s by Acy provided the visitors a 66:48 advantage. The hosts were able to cut down the lead to single digits after Scott Suggs three-pointers, and a transition three by Jonathan Mor, 66:57 Maccabi. The Yellow & Blue responded with Bryant hitting shots from behind the arc and an Acy dunk, 74:57 after 30 minutes.
Avdija, who did an excellent job on the defensive end, scored five straight points to keep a 17 point advantage. Gregory Vargas and four consecutive points by Willy Workman made coach Sfairopoulos call a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, 81:69. Zoosman hit an open three-pointer, and Wolters scored a three-point play sealed the deal. Final score, a convincing 93:75 Maccabi Tel Aviv win.
