Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv lost to Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 87-85 in week 9 of the Israeli Winner Sal League. Blu led Maccabi’s scorers with 17 points. Pnini added 15 points and Smith contributed 13.
By Amy Samin
At the end of a close game, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv lost to Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 87-85 at Malha Arena. David Blu led Maccabi’s scorers with 17 points, Guy Pnini added 15 points, and Devin Smith had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Shawn James, Sofo Schortsanitis, and Yuval Naimy did not suit up for the game.
Head coach David Blatt’s starters were Yogev Ohayon, Joe Ingles, Guy Pnini, Devin Smith and Alex Tyus. The game was close from the start, 8-8 after treys from Ingles and Pnini. Jake Cohen, David Blu and Ohayon also scored to put Maccabi up 18-15 halfway through the first quarter. Yotam Halperin took an offensive rebound that put Jerusalem in the lead, but Ingles responded with his second three pointer of the night, giving Maccabi the advantage. Sylven Landesberg added points from downtown, but Ariel scored for Jerusalem and once again the lead changed hands, 28-26 for the hosts as the period ended.
The second quarter got underway with a three from Ricky Hickman, and Blu scored from the foul line to give Maccabi a 31-28 lead. A mid-range jumper by Ohayon led Hapoel head coach Brad Greenberg to call for a time out. Halperin added another three pointer for Jerusalem, but Smith and Pnini, with a string of points including an amazing dunk, put Maccabi up by eight, 41-33 after five minutes of action in the period. Jerusalem climbed out of the hole, but Cohen added crucial points in the paint and Smith scored from mid-range to finish the quarter with Maccabi leading 46-41.
At the start of the third quarter the hosts scored five straight points to reclaim the lead, but points from outside the arc by Smith negated that. The lead passed back and forth between the teams for the next few minutes, as Lior Eliyahu began scoring for Jerusalem. Midway through the period the score was tied at 55 after a three pointer by Hickman. Hapoel scraped together a four point lead but another triple from Pnini cut that to one. Jerusalem scored but Blu and Pnini drained a pair of threes to make it 70-67 Maccabi as the period ended.
More points by Blu and Tyus extended Maccabi’s lead to seven points, a minute into the fourth period. Halperin and Josh Duncan scored for the hosts to tie the score at 76 at the halfway mark, and Blatt called for a time out. Another bucket from downtown by Blu stopped Hapoel’s run. Blu went on to score in the paint and put the lead back in Maccabi’s hands, 83-82 with a minute on the clock. A bungled pass by Jerusalem hit the referee and landed in the hot hands of Halperin, who scored for Jerusalem from outside the arc to win the game, 87-85.
