In the first of two games for the Intercontinental Cup trophy, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated hosts Flamengo of Brazil 69-66. Pargo was on fire with 21 points and 5 rebounds. The second game will be on Sunday, 28 September. (Photo: FIBA America).
By Amy Samin
Wide open: In the first of two games for the Intercontinental Cup trophy, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated hosts Flamengo of Brazil 69-66. Jeremy Pargo was on fire with 21 points and 5 rebounds, Guy Pnini added 11 points, Sylven Landesberg had 10 points and 5 rebounds, and Alex Tyus and Brian Randle contributed 8 points each. The second game will be on Sunday, 28 September at 18:00 Israel time.
Maccabi started the game with Pargo, Pnini, Landesberg, Randle and Aleks Mari?. After misses by Mari? under the basket and Randle at the foul line, it was Pargo who scored Maccabi’s first points, on one of his classic drives to the basket. Randle made it 4-2 Maccabi with a layup of his own, but then Flamengo took charge and ran to 11-7. Yogev Ohayon came into the game, bringing a 7-0 scoring run with him, and the period ended with the Euroleague champs down by only one, 15-14.
Maccabi continued to struggle at the start of the second quarter, sinking to a double digit deficit of 33-23. Pargo stepped up and was able to minimize the damage to Maccabi, and the teams went into the halftime break with Maccabi trailing 35-30.
As the second half got underway, it looked like a whole new Maccabi out on the court, as Landesberg scored 6 straight points, creating some positive momentum. It didn’t last though, and while the South American champs didn’t run away with the game, Maccabi continued to struggle. As the third quarter came to an end, Flamengo held a 51-46 lead.
In the fourth quarter Maccabi, led by Pargo, at last took control of the game. The guard, who returned to Maccabi this summer for his second term with the club, took charge while scoring from all over the court, finishing up with a dazzling shot at the buzzer. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv came away with a 69-66 win over Flamengo in the first of two games for the Intercontinental Cup trophy.
BOXSCORE
Pargo 21 points, 5 rebounds; Pnini 11 points; Landesberg 10 points, 5 rebounds; Randle (9 rebounds) and Tyus (5 rebounds) 8 points each; Haynes 5 points; Ohayon, Linhart and Mari? 2 points each.
