Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv won a nail-biter in Russia, 87-83 over Nizhny Novgorod in the second round of the Eurocup Last 32. Rochestie led five players in double figures with 17 points.
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv won a nail-biter in Russia, 87-83 over Nizhny Novgorod in the second round of the Eurocup Last 32. Taylor Rochestie led five players in double figures with 17 points. Arinze Onuaku had 15 points, Guy Pnini scored 13 points, and Trevor Mbakwe (14 rebounds) and Devin Smith contributed 10 points each.
Starters for Maccabi were Devin Smith, Brian Randle, Taylor Rochestie, Trevor Mbakwe, and Sylven Landesberg. The opening minutes of the game were close, with Maccabi holding a 6-4 lead after three minutes. The Russians came to life and ran to 13-8 halfway through the quarter, but Rochestie from downtown, Arinze Onuaku in the paint, and Dagan Yivzori with his first points in Europe gave Maccabi back the lead, 14-13. Yivzori added five more points, including a three from the corner that made it 20-18 after ten minutes of action.
Good play by Onuaku and Mbakwe increased Maccabi’s lead to 30-24 three minutes into the second quarter. Guy Pnini also scored to put Maccabi’s lead at eight, but Nizhny responded and closed to 36-34, while the yellows had trouble making their shots. A triple by Pnini gave Maccabi new energy, but the Russians scored at the buzzer to close to 45-43 going into the break.
Rochestie and Onuaku, who reached double figures, reopened Maccabi’s lead to 49-43 a minute and a half into the second half. The Russians responded with a 7-0 run that put them up 50-49 two minutes later. From there the lead kept changing hands, until it reached 55-54 to Maccabi with four minutes left in the quarter. Onuaku from the foul line and Pnini from outside the arc extended Maccabi’s lead to five, but Nizhny stayed focused and managed to tie the score at 63 at the end of the period.
Maccabi went hard in the paint at the start of the fourth quarter and took a 67-63 lead thanks to points by Mbakwe and Randle. The hosts responded quickly and reclaimed the lead, 76-71 with points from downtown. Rochestie from the charity stripe and Smith with a trey tied the score at 76 with three minutes left in the game. The Russians retook the lead, but a steal by Mbakwe and a three by Landesberg in the corner put Maccabi back on top 79-78 with 2:02 on the clock. Pnini added a bucket and one, and Smith scored in the paint, and despite Nizhny’s efforts Maccabi protected their lead from the foul line. In the end Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv defeated Nizhny Novgorod 87-83.
