In a drama-packed battle, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 78-76 at Pionir Arena in Serbia. Schortsanitis was outstanding with 22 points.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv outlasted Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade (Red Star) in dramatic fashion, 78-76 at Pionor Arena in Serbia in week 7 of the Euroleague regular season. The victory clinches a spot for Maccabi in the Euroleague Top 16. Sofo Schortsanitis was Maccabi’s top scorer with 22 points, and Yogev Ohayon showed his usual skill in game management with 9 assists. Guy Pnini (9 points) and Alex Tyus (8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks) also had excellent games.
Maccabi’s starters were Devin Smith, Joe Ingles, Guy Pnini, Yogev Ohayon, and Sofo Schortsanitis. Smith kicked things off with points from downtown, but it didn’t take long for hosts Red Star to grab a 13-9 lead. Buckets from Sofo in the paint put the lead in Maccabi’s hands just past the halfway mark, 16-15. A string of turnovers for Maccabi gave the hosts the chance to rebuild a lead, and the period ended with the Serbians leading 22-18.
Another trey by Smith, points by Alex Tyus and a mid-range jumper by David Blu gave Maccabi back the lead, 27-26 halfway through the period. Sofo added points in the paint, but an unsportsmanlike call on Ohayon gave the hosts the chance to retake the lead, 33-30. Great defense by Tyus (who finished the night with four blocks) and Hickman with a three pointer sent the teams into halftime with Maccabi leading 35-33.
Sofo continued to dominate as the third quarter got underway, and Ohayon and Pnini joined him in lighting up the scoreboard, making it 46-37. Tyus added one of his trademark slams off a dime from Ingles as Maccabi cruised to 52-37 after five minutes of action in the period. The home team tried to get back in the game, but two triples from Ingles and an assist and a layup by Tyrese Rice at the buzzer ended the third quarter with Maccabi up 62-46.
Maccabi extended their lead to eighteen early in the fourth quarter, but the Serbians came back to life, hacking away at the lead with a 10-0 run that put them within eight, 64-56 after three minutes. Smith and Rice combined for nine crucial points that gave Maccabi some breathing room, 73-62 with just over four minutes left on the clock. But once again the Serbians fought their way back into the game, 73-71 with two and a half minutes remaining. The teams battled for the advantage, and with four seconds left the score was tied at 76. Points from the foul line by Blu gave Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv the 78-76 win over Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade in week 7 of the Euroleague regular season. The win qualifies Maccabi for the Top 16 round.
