After squandering a double-digit lead late in the fourth, Hapoel secured the win in the extra session
Hapoel goes to OT to beat Besiktas, 109-101
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv needed extra minutes, but managed to beat Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul 109-101 at Samokov Arena in Bulgaria on Wednesday. Both team now hold 7-5 records in Group A, but Hapoel has swept their regular-season series.
Hapoel seemed in control and had a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but Besiktas finished the regulation with a 2-12 run to send the game into overtime. However, Hapoel scored the first 12 points in the extra session to claim an important win.
Antonio Blakeney led the winners with 27 points, and Johnathan Motley had 20 for Hapoel. Yam Madar scored 16, and Marcus Foster had 13 in victory. Kyle Allman netted 26 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists for Besiktas. Jonah Mathews netted 16 points, Dustin Sleva 14 and Emanuel Terry 11 in defeat.
Game Videos
The teams traded baskets early with Kerem Konan scoring twice for the visitors and Motley twice for Hapoel. Allman netted a triple for Besiktas and Derek Needham's basket made it 10-12. But a three-point play by Tomer Ginat got Hapoel in front before Madar and Motley opened a 20-14 lead. Mathews made a jumper and Terry scored inside, but Motley made sure Hapoel led 25-21 after 10 minutes.
Hapoel pulled away to a double-digit margin early in the second behind Blakeney, who drove for a reverse layup and sank back-to-back triples to make it 37-27. Allman scored 6 points, including a triple to cut it to 39-33. Blakeney had his third triple and Joe Ragland a three-point play to open a 45-33 advantage, but Besiktas answered with back-to-back threes from Allman and Sleva, halving the deficit, before Hapoel took a 49-41 lead into halftime.
Terry scored twice inside to keep Besiktas's deficit in single digits, but a triple from Ish Wainright made it 56-47. Terry scored again, followed by jumpers from Allman and Mathews that cut it to 58-53. Foster hit a three-pointer and Motley scored from close range to push the margin to 63-54. Besiktas answered with a 2-11 run, during which Needham and Kelan Martin each made a triple to help tie it at 65-65. Ginat and Blakeney helped Hapoel take a 71-69 edge into the fourth quarter.
Mathews hit a tough shot to give Besiktas a lead, 71-72, but Madar strung together a three-pointer, a three-point play and a short jumper to restore a 7-point margin. Allman and Needham each hit a mid-range jumper, and Martin's driving basket cut it to 83-78 midway through the fourth. However, Blakeney answered with back-to-back triples, his fourth and fifth on as many attempts, as Hapoel opened an 89-78 lead. Allman and Sleva kept the hope alive for Besiktas, then Arslan hit back-to-back threes within 15 seconds, including one in transition to cut it to 93-89 with 1:46 to go. Allman took it to the rim to get within 93-91 and Besiktas tied it at 93-93 with 2 free throws from Sleva after an offensive board with 21.7 to go, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Blakeney scored the first 5 points and Foster the next 5, while Hapoel kept the visitors without a basket in the first 3 minutes. Motley scored inside to make it 105-93, and Hapoel closed out the game.