Hapoel tied a EuroCup record in a historic victory
A rain of threes sent Hapoel to the finals
Article
3 Mins read
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv advanced to the BKT EuroCup Finals for the first time in club history thanks to a 92-94 victory over Valencia Basket in an outstanding basketball game at La Fonteta. Hapoel trailed for most of the game but found answers from beyond the arc right when it needed them most.
Hapoel struggled from beyond the three-point line in the first three quarters but found ways to be effective and stay in the game. At halftime, Hapoel had scored just 1 of 10 three-point shots and had committed 7 turnovers. Coach Dimitris Itoudis's team was extremely effective in the paint, making 18 of 21 two-pointers (85.7% 2FG).
Things did not improve in the third quarter, in which only Yam Madar was able to strike from downtown. As a team, Hapoel entered he fourth quarter with an 11.1% accuracy from three-point range. In Games 1 and 2, Hapoel averaged 40.4% from downtown.
It was only logical that Hapoel improved its shooting percentage in the fourth quarter but tying an all-time EuroCup record in a do-or-die semifinal game was something no-one saw it coming.
Madar and Marcus Foster got the shooting party started with a three-pointer apiece early in the fourth quarter to put Hapoel ahead, 68-71. After Antonio Blakeney added back-to-back triples, Valencia needed a timeout at 68-77. Hapoel was far from done: Foster and Blakeney each insisted from beyond the arc after Bruno Caboclo hit his own shot from downtown. Even though Blakeney had time for a sixth three-pointer, Valencia managed to tie the game, 92-92, on free throws by Jean Montero. Foster buried the game-winning jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining.
Hapoel tied a EuroCup record by making 9 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Only one other team had been able to make as many threes in a fourth quarter: Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse also downed 9 shots from beyond the arc in a 92-88 loss against 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys on January 25, 2023. Hapoel only scored 4 of its 31 points inside the arc, but it was Foster's shot that made the difference down the stretch.
Hapoel was close the record for most fourth-quarter points in a EuroCup Semifinals. UNICS Kazan holds the record with 34 in a 100-107 road victory against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Game 3 of the 2021 semifinals.
Game Videos
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Dreamland Gran Canaria-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Finals Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
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Bingham with the poster dunk! Magic Moment
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Dreamland Gran Canaria | Finals Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:24
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Blakeney puts Conditt on a poster! Magic Moment of the Night
- 01:15
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Johnathan Motley: 'If we keep playing defense like this, we are gonna be hard to beat'
- 00:08
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What a super-block by Caboclo! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Motley stops Tobey on the way to the hoop! Magic Moment
- 00:51
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Antonio Blakeney: 'It was a hard-fought win'
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Valencia Basket-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | SF Game 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:42
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Foster wins it! Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:13
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Reuvers's alley-oop dunk! Magic Moment
- 00:06
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Costello's big block! Magic Moment
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Valencia Basket | SF Game 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
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Motley rejects Montero! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Foster with the show and go! Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Ginat fakes out Sestina and scores! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Bingham with the rejection! Magic Moment
- 00:49
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Jean Montero: 'I'm just trying to do the best I can do'
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Valencia Basket-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | SF Game 1 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:32
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Pradilla's coast-to-coast dunk! Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:12
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Reuvers's alley-oop slam! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Brimah's big block! Magic Moment
- 00:16
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Hapoel's double block! Magic Moment
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Valencia Basket-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:48
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Chris Jones: 'We played hard'
- 00:09
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Lopez-Arostegui turns on the style! Magic Moment
- 01:06
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Marcus Foster: 'This is what playoff basketball is about'
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Turk Telekom Ankara | Quarterfinals Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:11
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Ojeleye says no! Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Ragland to Bingham alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Motley’s big dunk! Magic Moment
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Valencia Basket-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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ratiopharm Ulm-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 18 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:12
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De Larrea to Reuvers alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Foster finishes the thrilling alley-oop! Magic Moment
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Trefl Sopot | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
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Caboclo says no to Zyskowski! Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Foster find his way to destroy the rim! Magic Moment
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Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Valencia Basket | Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:18
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Brimah blocks twice! Magic Moment
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Valencia Basket-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Bahcesehir College Istanbul | Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
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Brimah throws down the alley-oop! Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Motley to Foster! Magic Moment
- 02:50
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Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'Coach is yelling at me now... it never stops!'
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 22 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Colson's wild put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:25
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Colson ignites the crowd! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:29
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Francisco beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
"It was a great game. It was a hard fought series. Obviously, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. Losing that first game was tough," Blakeney said after the game. "But it showed a lot of character about our team to come back and win two games in a row versus a great team like Valencia."
Blakeney finished the game with 32 points and 9 rebounds. Hapoel ended up burying 9 of 15 three-pointers (60%) in the fourth quarter and turning the ball over just three times after the break.
"AB [Antonio Blakeney] and Marcus [Foster] were very confident one-on-one. We based a lot of situations on them breaking one-on-one on their defense, attacking certain players. Montero was with four fouls, we want to attack him and [Brancou] Badio at the same time. They were doing the same things on their offense, on their offensive end with their goal screens or isolations over there," Coach Itoudis said after the game. We were good and confident that we can hit shots. This is the way we practice, they stay over there and do extra work on their shots, and the team was supporting that."