In a hard-won victory, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Alba Berlin 95-89 at Nokia Arena in week 8 of the Euroleague regular season. Smith led all scorers with 26 points and was named game MVP. Randle added 21 points, and Ohayon contributed 13 points and 8 assists.
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By Amy Samin
In a hard-won victory, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Alba Berlin 95-89 at Nokia Arena in week 8 of the Euroleague regular season and now has a guaranteed spot in the Top 16 round. Devin Smith led all scorers with 26 points and was named game MVP. Brian Randle added 21 points, and Yogev Ohayon contributed 13 points and 8 assists.
Starters for Maccabi were Jeremy Pargo, Devin Smith, Brian Randle, Yogev Ohayon, and Sofo Schortsanitis. Randle, Smith and Sofo were on fire as the game got underway, giving Maccabi a 14-6 lead halfway through the period. A 9-0 run by the visitors cut their deficit to only one, 16-15 with two and a half minutes left. Randle scored from downtown and again off a fastbreak layup and one to make it 23-17 with a minute on the clock, and the quarter ended with Maccabi leading 25-19.
Sylven Landesberg and Smith continued the momentum and Maccabi’s lead grew to double digits, 32-22 three minutes into the second quarter. After a time out, Alba came on strong, running 12-2 to tie the score with four minutes on the clock. Smith continued to play well, but the teams went into the break with the visitors up 46-42.
Three pointers from Smith, Randle and Ohayon put Maccabi back on top 51-48 less than three minutes after the start of the second half. Alba reclaimed the lead from the charity stripe as the yellows suffered a flurry of fouls. Smith was unstoppable, and together with Ohayon and Sofo put Maccabi back on top 68-63 going into the fourth quarter
The Germans opened strong in the final period, and with two three pointers retook the lead, 76-72. Once again it was Smith who put Maccabi ahead, 79-76 halfway through the quarter. Alba pulled within one, but Randle with a tough jumper and two straight swishes from outside the arc by Pargo extended Maccabi’s lead to six, 87-81 with less than two minutes left in the game. From there, the Germans couldn’t climb back out of the hole, and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Alba Berlin 95-89.
