Excellent game by the Yellow & Blue wasn’t enough against Real Madrid. 2 seconds to the final whistle Carroll hit a three-pointer to give the Blancos the win. Next week in the home opener: Red Star Belgrade
Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv fought until the final seconds but came up short in the 85:86 defeat to Real Madrid at Wizink Center in the Spanish Capital. Scottie Wilbekin finished the night with 22 points, scored with 10 seconds left on the clock, but Jaycee Carroll hit a shot behind the arc to give his team the victory. Maccabi loses its second game of the young European campaign but showed a lot of hope towards the upcoming EuroLeague season.
Other than Wilbekin, John DiBartolomeo set a career-high in the EuroLeague with 15 points. Maccabi improved their defense in the second half, as she allowed only 36 points after allowing 50 in the first. All of that without Omri Casspi (sick), who didn’t take part in the game.
On Monday, the team will play their first home game of the season against Hapoel Eilat. As for Thursday, they’ll host Red Star Belgrade in Menora Mivtachim Arena.
Recap
Nate Wolters, Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Quincy Acy, and Tarik Black opened in Giannis Sfairopoulos starting five. Wolters scored the first two points of the game as Maccabi was able to hold Real scoreless for the first two and a half minutes. Wilbekin with 5 points in a row and buckets by Tyler Dorsey and Black kept Maccabi on top 13:10 after five and a half minutes. Two unsportsmanlike fouls gave Real an option to take the lead, but great finishes by Wilbekin and Hunter concluded a 22:22 tie after one quarter.
DiBartolomeo and Bryant started the second quarter with buckets from deep. However, Jordan Micky, with 10 points in 13 minutes, left the home team tied to Maccabi 30:30. Madrid, with great showing on defense and 7 straight points by Sergio Llull, gave them a 43:34 advantage. Sfairopoulos decided to call a timeout, and his team responded well with threes by Wilbekin and DiBartolomeo, but on the other end, Fabien Causeur gave Real a 50:44 at the half.
Deni Avdija began the second half in the starting five, Wolters and Acy with shots behind the arc led Maccabi to a 9:0 run to take a 53:50 advantage. Despite a Pablo Lasso timeout, John D hit another three-pointer for the Yellow & Blue. Tarik Black executed his fourth foul, and coach Sfairopoulos benched him, Real took the advantage to go on a 13:2 run, but an excellent finish by Jake Cohen ended the third quarter in a 65:65 tie.
Hunter opened the fourth quarter with 4 points that placed Maccabi on top, but Gabriel Deck tied it up once again at 72, 5 minutes to the final whistle. DiBartolomeo fouled out. However, Scottie Wilbekin and Elijah Bryant kept Maccabi tight to Real Madrid until the last minute. With 27 seconds left, Wilbekin drove over Fernandez and hit the bucket to give the Yellow & Blue 85:83 with 10 seconds left. Real went to Jaycee Carroll, who knocked down a three to determine the final score, 86:85 to Real Madrid after a thriller.
