Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv claimed their second victory of the season in the Euroleague, 76-74 over Dinamo Sassari, and kept their hopes of advancing to the Top 16 alive.
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv claimed their second victory of the season in the Euroleague, 76-74 over Dinamo Sassari, and kept their hopes of advancing to the Top 16 alive. Sylven Landesberg with 19 points and Guy Pnini with 16 points were Maccabi’s top scorers.
Maccabi’s starters were Brian Randle, Sylven Landesberg, Taylor Rochestie, Guy Pnini, and Arinze Onuaku. Maccabi ran to 8-0 thanks to buckets by Landesberg and points from the charity stripe by Onuaku. Ex-Maccabi player Marquez Haynes put Sassari on the scoreboard, but Rochestie responded to make it 11-5 halfway through the period. The Italians fought their way into the game and thanks to points by Haynes soon made it 13-12. Landesberg, Dragan Bender, and Trevor Mbakwe made sure the first quarter ended with Maccabi holding a 20-15 lead.
The second quarter got underway with a slick assist by Yogev Ohayon to Landesberg on the right wing, but the hosts responded to make it a three point game, 23-20 after two and a half minutes. Back to back triples by Pnini gave Maccabi a nine point lead, 29-20 after four minutes of action in the period. Randle scored both from downtown and on a fast break to put Maccabi’s lead in double digits, 36-24. The hosts closed the gap thanks to more points by Haynes, but a reverse layup and a dunk by Randle ended the half with Maccabi leading 40-33.
The second half got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring until Pnini drained a three from the right corner after two and a half minutes. Mbakwe added points in the paint, and Rochestie scored seven straight to make it 52-39 with four minutes left in the quarter. Sassari responded with six unanswered points to pull within seven, but Ohayon scored from outside the arc to put the lead back at ten, 55-45 with two minutes remaining. Once again the hosts came back, and the period ended with a bucket and one by Haynes that cut Maccabi’s lead to only five, 57-52.
Landesberg and Pnini combined at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 64-56, but a triple for Sassari kept things close. Landesberg fouled out and points by Alexander for the Italians made it a thee point game, 66-63 with three and a half minutes left in the game. Ike Ofoegbu scored from the top of the arc and Pnini added four points to reopen Maccabi’s lead, but Sassari wasn’t ready to call it quits. A huge three by Haynes with :37 on the clock put the hosts within reach of victory, but Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv hung on to claim their second victory in the Euroleague and keep their hopes of advancing alive; in the end 76-74 to Maccabi over Dinamo Sassari.
