The Yellow & Blue summarized the 18 point comeback win over Panathinaikos. Sfairopoulos: “I’m very proud of the players. It was very important that the players never gave up”. Wilbekin: “We’ve got guys that want to fight and really want to win”
Miracles and wonders in Menorah Mivtachim Arena: Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv defeat Panathinaikos 88:79 in Tel Aviv after an incredible 18 point come from behind victory. The Yellow & Blue improve their record to 11:4 as they stay undefeated at home. Scottie Wilbekin led all Maccabi scorers with 23 points, Tyler Dorsey added 16, and once again, Othello Hunter dominated in the paint posting 15 points and 7 rebounds.
“I’m very proud of the players how they played tonight, it’s not easy when you start slow, you can’t play from the jump your best in every single game all season long”, Said coach Giannis Sfairopoulos after the comeback win. “It was very important that the players never gave up, believing, and fighting until the end. It was essential to cut down their lead by the end of the first half, and then in the second half, we fought possession by possession. In the final quarter, we showed our character allowing only 10 points, displaying how much we wanted to get this win. We were able to stop them on defense, on the other end we hit crucial shots, and I think with the way we fought, we deserved to win”.
“I want to thank all our fans for their support, I like the way they support the players and not only me”, Told Sfairopoulos about the fantastic display by the fans. “The players are the protagonists as they are the ones playing, giving their hearts out, and we need to support them for their spirit on the court. I want them to sing for the good of the team”.
“Every win we get with this roster without the (injured) guys means more to us, especially against good teams”, Said Scottie Wilbekin about the emotions in the locker room after the victory. “We are fighting right now, it was kind of similar to the CSKA game, we were down in that game but not as much. It was a bigger challenge, hurdle that we had to climb, and that’s why you can see our joy and emotions right now”.
“We’re not that deep right now, but we’ve got guys that just really want to fight and really want to win”, Explained the guard about the squad’s character, missing four players to injury. “I knew I had to keep being aggressive, my teammates had trust in me, and we found a way to get it done”.
