In a tough loss on the road, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv fell to Crvena Zvezda 89-76 in Belgrade, dropping their Top 16 record to 6-3. Smith led Maccabi’s scorers with 15 points.
Share Article
By Amy Samin
In a tough loss on the road, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv fell to Crvena Zvezda 89-76 in Belgrade, dropping their Top 16 record to 6-3. Devin Smith led Maccabi’s scorers with 15 points, Jeremy Pargo contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Alex Tyus and Nate Linhart added 14 points each, and Yogev Ohayon handed out 8 assists.
Brian Randle, Devin Smith, Alex Tyus, Jeremy Pargo, and Yogev Ohayon were the starters for Maccabi. The Serbians got off to a good start and grabbed a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes. Sofo Schortsanitis (who had come in for Tyus), Smith from downtown, and Pargo combined to make it 7-6 Maccabi two minutes later. Despite points by Randle and Tyus, the hosts tied the score at 11 with three and a half minutes left in the period. Red Star took the lead, but two three pointers by Haynes and one by Nate Linhart on the right wing at the buzzer made it 20-18, Maccabi.
Tyus with points in the paint and Smith from the free throw line, along with great defense by Linhart, kept Maccabi in the lead, 24-21 after two and a half minutes. Red Star came back and took a 28-24 lead halfway through the period. Smith and Tyus kept Maccabi close, and Pargo drained a three after impressive blocks by Randle and Linhart, 33-31 to the hosts with two minutes left in the period. The Serbians controlled the final minutes of the half, and the teams went into the break with Crvena Zvezda holding a 38-34 lead.
The home team extended their lead to seven at the start of the second half, but Smith and Pargo combined to cut Maccabi’s deficit to two, 43-41 two and a half minutes into the quarter. The Serbians managed to reopen their lead to seven, but Smith, Tyus, and Linhart combined to tie the score at 51 with three minutes left in the period. Ohayon scored off the glass to put Maccabi on top, and Pargo and Linhart added to the lead, which grew to six points before being cut by the hosts. The period ended with a dunk by Randle (assist Tyus) to make it 59-54, Maccabi.
Smith and Linhart scored from downtown to increase Maccabi’s lead to 65-57 two minutes into the final period, but Red Star stormed back, pulling to within two, 65-63 before a trey by Ohayon stopped their run. But the Serbians were determined, and Maccabi’s defense couldn’t stop the 19-0 run that put the hosts well ahead. In the end, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv lost on the road to Crvena Zvezda, 89-76.
