Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv racked up their first away victory in the Euroleague last night, 86 \u2013 72 over Air Avellino, bringing them that much closer to a spot in the Top 16. After the game, Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon<\/B> said, \u201cIt\u2019s an important win, one that advanced our position. As is his custom, Pini offered up several wisecracks, this time at the expense of Arroyo, who finished the game 1 for 11 from the field. \u201cBecause some of the players got into foul trouble, and we didn\u2019t have others to fill those spots, we had to slow our game down a little,\u201d added the coach. \u201cWe played well, and I\u2019m really, really happy about this win,\u201d said Lior Eliyahu<\/B>. \u201cA lot of the pressure we felt before the game has been lifted from us because we channeled it into this win. Maccabi\u2019s assistant coach Sharon Drucker<\/B>, who perhaps could also be considered the team\u2019s lucky charm because since he joined the team they\u2019ve won three straight games (Cibona, Rishon Le-Zion and Avellino), said, \u201cVery early on in the game we saw that our strategy was working. <\/SPAN> \u201cThe team was outstanding. Team captain Derrick Sharp<\/B> added, \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun to win an away game. Yaniv Green<\/SPAN><\/B> said, \u201cI\u2019m in good shape, and I\u2019m getting opportunities. <\/SPAN> Maccabi\u2019s chairman of the board, Shimon Mizrahi<\/B>, said, \u201cIt\u2019s nice to win away from home, and this wasn\u2019t just any win, but a very, very important one.
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<\/SPAN>Once again, Lior Eliyahu was excellent (18 points, 10 assists), and Yaniv Green was also outstanding (14 and 7); but after a rare poor showing by Carlos Arroyo, it was Marcus Brown who stepped up and took charge, scoring 26.
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>We did the work we needed to do.
<\/SPAN>We could have played a better game, but some of the players didn\u2019t perform as we\u2019d expected.
<\/SPAN>Still, it was a nice win.
<\/SPAN>We scored 48 in the first half; at that rate we should have had a final score of 95 points.
<\/SPAN>But we played a more tactical game in the second half in order to ensure the win, and that\u2019s natural.\u201d
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<\/SPAN>\u201cIf I were stronger, I would do something to Carlos, but I\u2019m scared because he would hit me back.\u201d
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>\u201cWe were able to neutralize some of their players through fouls.
<\/SPAN>We stayed with most of our players, except for Tal (Burstein) who made a good foul.\u201d
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>This was a really important victory.
<\/SPAN>I think we played well together as a team.
<\/SPAN>A lot of players contributed points \u2013 big points: Yaniv, D\u2019or, and of course Marcus Brown.
<\/SPAN>It was exactly the win we needed.\u201d
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>Their percentages from outside the arc were very low, and we showed great teamwork, especially on defense.\u201d<\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/P> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maccabi.co.il\/mtpic\/air_mac_09.jpg\")
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>This was a critical game for us, and they responded accordingly.
<\/SPAN>Without bragging, if we had executed better on offense we could have punished them with fast breaks and finished the game with 95 or 100 points.
<\/SPAN>Even without that, we got a nice 14 point victory away from our home court.\u201d
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>We\u2019re improving.
<\/SPAN>We came ready for this game.
<\/SPAN>We\u2019re building confidence and showing it.
<\/SPAN>We\u2019re starting to believe in ourselves and our coach; we\u2019re starting to have fun on the court.
<\/SPAN>Everybody\u2019s fighting, and the result is a victory away from home.\u201d
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>I\u2019m happy that I can contribute to the team.
<\/SPAN>I came of age in
<\/SPAN>I know things take time.
<\/SPAN>I waited for my chance, and I\u2019m glad I took it.\u201d
<\/SPAN>About the game, the center remarked, \u201cWe led for the whole game.
<\/SPAN>At the end we widened the gap.
<\/SPAN>We deserved the win, and the guys did a good job.\u201d<\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/P> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.maccabi.co.il\/mtpic\/air_mac_11.jpg\")
<\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P>
<\/SPAN>You saw the great teamwork from the start of the game; I\u2019m really happy about it.
<\/SPAN>Since Pini arrived, you can see how motivated the team is, and the opportunities he has given players like Yaniv Green and Lior Eliyahu to play.\u201d