The Israeli side led for the last 28 minutes of the game
Hapoel Tel Aviv forces Game 3 with 96-91 win over Valencia

The Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv fans will be partying into the night in Bulgaria after defeating Valencia Basket 96-91 in Game 2 of the BKT EuroCup Semifinals, bouncing back from a 91-82 defeat at La Fonteta in Game 1 earlier this week.
Johnathan Motley dominated for Hapoel, posting 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block, while Antonio Blakeney had 22 points, Yam Madar paired 21 points with 9 assists, and Tomer Ginat finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Valencia was led by Matt Costello, who had 21 points. Nate Reuvers netted 13 points, Stefan Jovic poured in 11, and Jean Montero came close to a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
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Madar was inspired in the early going, being responsible for all 13 of his team’s points by scoring 5 points and dishing 3 assists as Hapoel went 13-7 ahead. The Israeli guard added a couple of steals to his name, with Motley and Ish Wainwright helping swell Hapoel’s advantage to 19-10. A couple of threes by Reuvers and Costello featured during an 11-2 Valencia run to close the quarter, yet Hapoel still led 23-21 after 10 minutes.
Bar Timor struck from deep to get the home fans back into it, but Reuvers scored inside and Jovic’s three-point play tied it up at 26-26. Motley’s tip-in, Timor’s layup and Madar’s three opened a seven-point difference, 33-26, and Motley kept charging by moving to 15 points with the score at 39-32. Xabi Lopez-Arostegui and Reuvers helped make it a one-possession ballgame, 41-39. Then it was the turn of Marcus Foster to get his first points of the night, netting four points in quick succession, 50-44, but Costello scored five points inside the final 1:14 minutes to ensure it was 54-49 at the break.
Blakeney stepped up for Hapoel in the early stages of the third period, scoring 11 points inside the first three minutes as the hosts went 66-53 ahead. Motley then scored inside to make it a 15-point difference, 68-53, while the lead extended to a game-high 17 points, 74-57, when the American big man found his way to the basket again. Valencia hit back, though, by putting together a 14-2 run that included five points by Jovic to head into the fourth quarter trailing by five, 76-71.
Madar’s three-pointer got the fourth quarter off to a bang, 79-71, but Puerto and Costello both scored inside to keep it close, 79-75. Motley’s mid-range jumper was followed by a triple by Costello, 81-78, then Costello responded to a Madar mid-range jumper to keep Valencia three points behind, 83-80. Reuvers got his team within two points, 83-81, but Blakeney and Madar helped swell the lead to 93-83 with 2:47 to go. Costello, once again, scored inside, but Tomer Ginat’s three resulted in a huge roar among the fans, 96-85. Montero scored a couple of times either side of a Chris Jones layup, but it wasn’t enough for Valencia as Hapoel won 96-91.