Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv opened the 2014-15 Israeli Winner Sal League season with an 81-69 victory over Ironi Nes Ziona. Randle was outstanding with 19 points, Smith added 17 points, and Pargo scored 14 points.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv opened their Israeli Winner Sal League season with a victory over Ironi Nes Ziona, 81-69. Brian Randle was top scorer with 19 points, Devin Smith contributed 17 points, and Jeremy Pargo added 14 points. Alex Tyus and Nate Linhart had the night off.
Starters were Jake Cohen, Devin Smith, Jeremy Pargo, Sylven Landesberg, and Brian Randle. Maccabi looked great, running to 15-5 halfway through the period, thanks mainly to excellent play by Randle. Nes Ziona managed to narrow the gap, but a classic layup by Pargo made it 18-12 with three and a half minutes left in the quarter. Aleks Mari?, MarQuez Haynes and Pargo combined to put Maccabi’s lead back into double digits, but Shulman scored for the hosts and the period ended with Maccabi leading 24-17.
Randle continued to do work as the second quarter got underway, reaching double figures as he, along with Guy Pnini from downtown, extended Maccabi’s lead to 29-19. The home team showed signs of getting back in the game, but Cohen and Haynes protected Maccabi’s lead with points from the foul line. The pace of the game slowed to a crawl for a few minutes, until points by Landesberg and Smith (with a bucket and one) expanded Maccabi’s lead, 39-24. Nes Ziona responded with a run that made it 39-31 as the teams went into the halftime break.
Nes Ziona closed to within six at the start of the second half, but Maccabi soon reopened their lead thanks to three straight three pointers by Randle, Pnini and Pargo, 48-33 after two and a half minutes. Cohen, Pargo and Randle kept the hosts at a distance and extended Maccabi’s lead to 20. Two great plays by Haynes closed out the period with the score 68-45.
Maccabi continued to play hard at the start of the fourth quarter, as two straight threes by Smith made it 74-45. As the period went on the hosts were able to take advantage of a softening in Maccabi’s defense, but it was too little too late, and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv came away with an 81-69 victory over Nes Ziona.
