Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv players did not take into consideration the many guests from the Galil that filled the NOKIA Arena and beat their team Hapoel Galil Elyon/Golan and coach Oded Katash 97-67.
Without Nestoras Kommatos (sat out) and Yotam Halperin (dislocated finger), the Maccabi players looked sleepy in the first quarter won by the guests 18-16. But a 16-0 run between the 9th &15th minute, led by Tal Burstein, put the home team 30-18 up and at half time 44-31.
Saras, who did not score in the first half, made 4 three pointers and altogether 14 pts in 8 minutes in the third period and Maccabi ran to 74-43 at the end of the third. In the final period coach Gershon used all his players and Maccabi won by 30 pts.
Six Maccabi players scored in double figures. The Yellows domoinated the rebound 48-20 mainly through Thomas 12, Baston 8 & Vujcic 7 rbds. Maccabi made 11 three pointers in 65% and dished out 28 assists.