In a dramatic come from behind victory at home, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv claimed the top spot in Group E of the Euroleague after defeating Real Madrid 90-86 in week 5 of the Top 16. Schortsanitis had 17 points and 8 rebounds and was named the game’s MVP.
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By Amy Samin
In a dramatic come from behind victory at home, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv claimed the top spot in Group E after defeating Real Madrid 90-86 in the Top 16 round of the Euroleague. Sofo Schortsanitis had 17 points and 8 rebounds and was named the game’s MVP. He was joined by four other players scoring in double figures: MarQuez Haynes (also 17), Sylven Landesberg (16), Devin Smith (14), and Jeremy Pargo (11 points and 9 assists).
Starters were Jeremy Pargo, Devin Smith, Yogev Ohayon, Sofo Schortsanitis, and Brian Randle. The Spaniards started the game with a vengeance, but ten points by Sofo put Maccabi within one, 13-12. Real continued to run, reaching 20-12 halfway through the period. Two straight buckets by Smith, points from the foul line, and a trey by Sylven Landesberg weren’t enough to cut the deficit by much, and the visitors led 31-23 as the period came to an end.
MarQuez Haynes scored from downtown to get the second quarter started, Pargo added a coast to coast slam, and Landesberg delivered more points from downtown to make it 35-33 after two and a half minutes. More points by Haynes cut Maccabi’s deficit to only one, but the Spaniards put together a 10-0 run thanks to their offensive rebounds, reclaiming a comfortable lead. Sofo, Landesberg, and Joe Alexander put the brakes on Real temporarily, but even after three pointers by Alexander and Haynes, Maccabi went into the halftime break trailing 54-46.
Randle opened the second half with two straight buckets, and Smith and Sofo tied the score at 54 after two and a half minutes. Real woke up and ran to 67-59 with three and a half minutes left in the period. Pargo from the top of the arc and a putback by Landesberg put Maccabi within one, 67-66. Maccabi briefly took the lead, but the quarter ended with the visitors back on top, 69-68.
The final period got underway with a go-ahead triple by Haynes, but Real quickly evened things up. Back to back Pargo to Landesberg plays, and an alley oop from Pargo to Tyus, fired up the crowd and made it 79-76 Maccabi after four minutes of action. The next several minutes were marked by disorganized play on the part of both teams, until layups by Randle and Smith settled Maccabi down with a six point lead, 85-79. Real cut that to three, but Pargo and Smith combined to make it 88-83 with :24 on the clock. A three pointer by Real’s Llull with :16 left added to the drama, but two clutch free throws by Alexander put the finishing touches on Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s 90-86 victory over Real Madrid.
