By Amy Samin

Four days before the start of the Euroleague Top 16, Maccabi trounced Holon in an impressive game, thanks largely to the efforts of Lior Eliyahu, Omri Casspi, D’or Fischer and Marcus Brown.
Maccabi finished the game with an imposing 27 assists versus only six by the host team, and didn’t let up the pressure the whole game.

Maccabi started the game with Carlos Arroyo, Brown, Casspi, Eliyahu and Fischer.
Deron Washington, Luis Flores, Curtis Withers, Lior Lifshitz and Chris Watson were the starting five for host team Holon.

Maccabi took charge of the game from the opening minutes, when Maccabi fans were thrilled by the Casspiyahu show, with the two starters taking turns sending each other stunning assists for points.
Two three-pointers by Brown added to the fun, bringing the score to 16 – 6 after four and a half minutes of play in the first quarter.
Eliyahu scored at will under Holon’s basket, keeping Maccabi’s lead in double digits; with two and a half minutes left in the period, Maccabi led 25 – 13.
Tal Burstein came off the bench like a whirlwind, scoring 5 straight points, while Holon couldn’t find a way to close the gap, and the quarter ended with Maccabi ahead 30 – 18.

Holon came into the second period like a whole new team, scoring 6 straight and closing the gap to 30 – 24 after two minutes of play.
Two easy dunks by Casspi gave Maccabi a little breathing room, but with Fischer on the bench with two fouls, the Maccabi defense allowed a slew of Holon baskets from the paint on the way to a score of 35 – 29 four and a half minutes into the game.
Shortly before the halftime break, Maccabi came alive, while Holon seemed to fall apart on offense, allowing Maccabi to break the game open once again.
Brown, who had a fantastic game, supplied a bucket and a shot from outside the arc, and free throws by Casspi closed out the half with the score 47 – 33, Maccabi.

Maccabi continued to dominate at the start of the second half, with Fischer back on the court to supply dunks and take a dubious third foul charge.
Eliyahu and Brown continued to show their usual skill, and three minutes into the third quarter Maccabi led 54 – 35.
The home team came alive with 3 three-pointers, which were answered by a follow-dunk by Fischer and a three-pointer by Burstein which took Maccabi to a 63 – 48 lead with three minutes left in the period.
Maccabi stayed strong on offense, leaving Holon no way to get back into the game, and the quarter ended with Maccabi in the lead, 71 – 56.

A three-pointer by Arroyo and a handsome assist by Casspi to Fischer strengthened Maccabi’s advantage, and showed the home team that their salvation was not at hand, causing Holon to lose focus completely.
Eliyahu went on a 7 point scoring run, bringing the score to 75 – 60, Maccabi, with four minutes left in the game.
Even Maccabi junior team player Anton Shoutvin got some playing time, scoring his first point in the big leagues on a free throw.
All the Holon fans could do was sing songs in praise of their team in better times, and the game ended in a victory for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, 91 – 72.

Box Scores

Maccabi: Eliyahu 21 points (10/11 from the field), 5 assists; Arroyo 14 points; Casspi 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists; Fischer 12 points, 11 rebounds; Brown 11 points, 6 assists; Burstein 10 points; Green 6 points; Simmons 3 points; Shoutvin 1 point.

Holon: Top scorers were Washington with 18 points, Tolbert with 17 points, and Withers with 13 points.

Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon summed up the victory: “If it’s up to us, we need to do it easy.
They put up a fight until the end, and fought well.
We led the whole game, but we need to solve our rebound problem and our turnovers weren’t good.
Any time you allow your opponent more than 11 offensive rebounds, you’re giving them a gift.
We need to guard them better.”

Omri Casspi added, “I’m glad we made the game easy. Thursday will be a whole different story; it’s going to be a tough game, because Alba (Berlin) is a strong team.
We’ll play our game in order to win.”

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