Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv guaranteed their spot in the Euroleague Top 8 after defeating Alba Berlin in Germany 73-64. Smith broke his own record with 28 points (7 of 10 from downtown).
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv guaranteed their spot in the Euroleague Top 8 after defeating Alba Berlin in Germany 73-64. Devin Smith broke his own record, scoring 28 points (7 of 10 from downtown). Brian Randle added 13 points, Sofo Schortsanitis scored 10 points, and Alex Tyus contributed 8 points and 10 rebounds.
Maccabi’s starters were Yogev Ohayon, Brian Randle, Devin Smith, Jeremy Pargo, and Sofo Schortsanitis. Maccabi came out on fire at the start of the game, running to 10-3 in the first two and a half minutes after points by Randle and Sofo, and two triples from Smith. Alba tried to slow the tempo, running down the clock on their own possessions and using a full court press on defense. Randle added a layup and Smith drained yet another three to make it 15-6 at the halfway mark. The Germans fought their way into the game, closing to 17-14 with less than two minutes left in the period. Tyus and Pargo scored to end the period with Maccabi holding a 21-17 lead.
The second quarter got underway with points by Sofo and Smith that made it 26-17 after just over a minute. The hosts closed in with a pair of baskets, but a quick alley oop from Pargo to Randle on the inbounds made it 28-21 after three minutes of action. Alba took control of the game over the next few minutes and tied the score at 30. Points by Pargo and a couple of Hail Mary passes from Randle to Smith and from Smith to Nate Linhart opened up a 36-30 lead for the yellows with less than two and a half minutes left in the half. A steal by Linhart led to a trey from Randle at the top of the arc, and Smith added points from under the basket to make it 41-34 Maccabi going into the break.
The second half got off to a slow start, with a slick give and go between Ohayon and Sofo ending in points by Maccabi’s captain, but soon after both Sofo and Randle racked up two quick fouls each. Layups by Tyus (assist Pargo) and Smith opened up a small lead for Maccabi, 47-41 with four minutes left in the period. Linhart was called for his fourth foul as the Germans once again closed the gap, 47-45 with two and a half on the clock. Free throws by Pargo and Tyus and a clutch three by Smith gave Maccabi a 53-51 lead going into the final quarter.
Smith kicked off the fourth period with points from downtown, but it didn’t take long for Alba to tie the score, 56-56 after two minutes. The next few minutes were all Sofo, as he scored six straight and was called for his fourth foul. Tyus added a drive to the basket just past the halfway point, but Sofo fouled out and the Germans cut their deficit to 66-63 with four minutes left. Once again it was Smith who stepped up with his seventh three pointer of the game and then, along with Ohayon and Pargo, added points from the charity stripe to give Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv a 73-64 win over Alba Berlin and a ticket to the Euroleague Top 8.
