Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv continued their winning ways with a 78-75 victory over Bnei Herzliya in week 6 of the Israeli Winner Sal League. Rice led Maccabi’s scorers with 21 points, and James added 17 points and 7 rebounds.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv continued their winning ways with a 78-75 victory over Bnei Herzliya in week 6 of the Israeli Winner Sal League. Tyrese Rice was outstanding for Maccabi, scoring 21 points including key buckets in money time. Shawn James was also terrific, with 17 points and 7 rebounds. In his first game of the season in the Israeli League, Devin Smith contributed 11 points.
Starters for Maccabi were Devin Smith, Ricky Hickman, Guy Pnini, Yogev Ohayon, and team captain Shawn James. James opened the game with six straight points, but the visitors pulled themselves together and claimed a 9-6 lead after three and a half minutes. Maccabi stayed close thanks to seven straight points by Tyrese Rice, but the period ended with Herzliya leading 23-19.
Two straight threes extended the visitor’s lead, but an alley oop from Rice to Alex Tyus and a three by Smith put a stop to the run. Smith, playing for the first time this season in an Israeli League game, added another triple and a floater in the paint to put Maccabi within five, 39-34 halfway through the period. The visitors struggled a bit as Rice and Sylven Landesberg added points to end the half with Maccabi trailing by only three, 45-42.
Tyus added four straight (putback and dunk off an oop from Joe Ingles) to put Maccabi within one at the start of the third quarter. The nome team tied the score twice before Rice drained a three to put Maccabi up 58-55 with just over four minutes left in the period. That lead grew to seven on a steal plus layup by Ingles, but Herzliya battled their way back, claiming a one point lead with seconds on the clock. As the buzzer sounded, once again it was Rice who delivered the clutch shot, ending the period with Maccabi back on top, 64-63.
The visitors quickly grabbed back the lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and for the next few minutes the lead traded hands. Halfway through the period it was Herzliya up by three, 72-69. Maccabi stepped up their defense and took back the lead going into the final two minutes of the game. In the end, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv outlasted Bnei Herzliya, 78-75 in the sixth week of the Israeli Winner Sal League.
BOXSCORE
Maccabi: Rice 21 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds; James 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks; Smith 11 points; Tyus 8 points; Ohayon 7 points; Ingles (7 assists) and Landesberg 4 points each; Pnini 3 points; Blu 2 points; Hickman 1 point.
