A fantastic 20-point game by Landesberg led Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv to their third victory in the Euroleague Top 16, 73-66 over Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. Pargo (8 assists) and Tyus (6 blocks) scored 12 points each, and Smith contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds.
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By Amy Samin
A fantastic 20-point game by Sylven Landesberg led Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv to their third victory in the Euroleague Top 16, 73-66 over Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. Jeremy Pargo (8 assists) and Alex Tyus (6 blocks) scored 12 points each, and Devin Smith contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Starters for Maccabi were Yogev Ohayon, Sofo Schortsanitis, Jeremy Pargo, Devin Smith, and Brian Randle. The hosts wasted no time running to 8-2 in the first three minutes. Sofo and Pargo responded from the foul line, and points by Ohayon put Maccabi within two, 12-10 halfway through the period. Zalgiris clung to a small lead, while Sofo and Tyus scored off dimes from Pargo, then Joe Alexander came into the game and drained two straight buckets to give Maccabi their first lead, 18-17. The Lithuanians scored from downtown to end the period with the score tied 22-22.
Two more triples for Zalgiris put them back in the lead in the first minute of the second quarter, and they kept on going, running to 37-28 halfway through the period. Sylven Landesberg stepped up for Maccabi, scoring five straight before being joined by Ohayon (from downtown) and Randle (in the paint) to put Maccabi back on top 38-37 with a 10-0 run, with a minute and a half left in the half. An on-the-fly oop from Ohayon to Tyus sent the teams into the break with Maccabi up 40-37.
Zalgiris started the third quarter with an 8-2 run that put them up 45-42 at the halfway mark. Maccabi had trouble getting their shots to drop, until Smith and Landesberg scored to narrow the gap, but the period ended with the hosts holding a 52-48 lead.
A dunk by Pargo, points in the paint by Smith, and a shot off the glass by Tyus put Maccabi back on top 56-54 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Landesberg and Pargo kept the buckets coming for the yellows, with a trey by Landesberg making Maccabi’s lead a little more comfortable, 63-58 with five minutes to go in the game. Tyus was outstanding at both ends of the court with a series of putbacks, blocks and rebounds, while a long alley oop pass by Pargo to Randle and a layup by Landesberg helped wrap up another win for Maccabi in the Top 16, 73-66 over Zalgiris.
