Though they stayed close throughout the game, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv fell to Lokomotiv Kuban 78-76. Sofo led Maccabi’s scorers with 18 points and 5 assists, Hickman and Blu added 16 points each.
By Amy Samin
Though they stayed close throughout the game, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv fell to Lokomotiv Kuban 78-76 in Russia, dropping their Top 16 record to 6-3. Despite the loss, Maccabi still holds third place in Group F. Sofo Schortsanitis led Maccabi’s scorers with 18 points and 5 assists, David Blu and Ricky Hickman added 16 points each, and Guy Pnini contributed 11 points.
Maccabi’s starters were Joe Ingles, Guy Pnini, Ricky Hickman, Devin Smith and Sofo Schortsanitis. Neither team started out well, and after three and a half minutes the score was only 4-4. The pace picked up, and Pnini sank a three to put Maccabi on top 9-7. Despite points from Ingles and Smith, Kuban took the lead thanks to Brown and Simon to end the quarter 15-13.
The Russians were on fire at the start of the second quarter, cruising to a double digit lead in the first minute and a half. David Blu responded with five straight points to keep Maccabi close, but Kuban continued to dominate. Another three by Blu cut the home team’s lead to four, but Kuban responded at both ends of the court and the teams went into the break with the hosts leading 38-29.
The start of the third quarter belonged to Sofo, who scored five straight and, along with Ingles, put Maccabi within two, 38-36 after three minutes of action. Kuban put their lead back up at seven, but Pnini responded with a triple. Points by Smith and another trey from the corner by Blu cut the deficit to three, 47-44 with less than three minutes left in the period. But Brown and Kuban didn’t let Maccabi come any closer, and the third period ended with the hosts up 53-48.
Blu kicked off the fourth quarter with more points from downtown, but Kuban scored six straight in response. Hickman, Sofo, Pnini and Smith combined to put Maccabi within one, 67-66 with just under four minutes left in the game, but Simon was unstoppable and the hosts didn’t give Maccabi the chance to take the lead. In the end Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv lost to Lokomotiv Kuban 78-76.
