Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Ashdod Ber Tuvia 83-75 to win the Israeli Cup for the 43rd time in the club’s history. Mekel (21 points) was named game MVP.
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Ashdod Ber Tuvia 83-75 to win the Israeli Cup for the 43rd time in the club’s history. Gal Mekel (21 points and 6 assists) was named game MVP. Devin Smith and Sylven Landesberg contributed 14 points each, and Elijah Millsap added 10 points.
Maccabi’s starters were Gal Mekel, Taylor Rochestie, Trevor Mbakwe, Ike Ofoegbu, and Elijah Millsap. Maccabi started out strong, taking a 14-8 lead after four and a half minutes thanks to points by Mekel and two straight triples by Rochestie. Devin Smith and Mekel also added points from downtown, and Sylven Landesberg scored to end the period with Maccabi leading 26-18.
The second quarter got underway with three pointers from Ohayon, Mekel, and Landesberg that brought Maccabi to 34-21 after three minutes. Ashdod showed signs of getting back into the game, mainly due to Thomas, but Guy Pnini and Mbakwe took Maccabi to their biggest lead yet, 50-28 with two minutes left in the period. Ashdod changed things up and put together a 10-0 run to end the half with Maccabi up 50-38.
The momentum stayed with Ashdod in the third quarter, as they cut their deficit to ten, 52-42, in two minutes. Mbakwe provided a bucket and one, but Ashdod kept on coming, closing to 57-51 on a triple by Thomas. Mekel scored but Ashdod continued to work at the gap, cutting it to only four. A putback by Smith made it 65-59 Maccabi heading into the final period.
Despite nice points by Millsap at the start of the fourth quarter, Ashdod soon made it 67-64. Smith and Mekel provided key points to keep Maccabi on top, but Ashdod managed to make it 71-69 halfway through the period. Landesberg scored in the paint and Smith scored seven straight to give Maccabi some breathing room, 80-71 with a minute and a half left. Ashdod couldn’t overcome the deficit at that point, and Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv won the game 83-75 and claimed the 43 Israeli Cup in the club’s history.
