The Israeli side is now 2-2 under Coach Itoudis
Hapoel Tel Aviv has its destiny in its hands after winning 'the more difficult way'
Статьи
3 Минутное чтение
Regular Season
Round 12 of 18
Group A
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv could have done it in a much easier way, but eventually it needed overtime to beat Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul 109-101 on Wednesday night. It was a high-stakes game and a big win for Hapoel, which has now swept its two games against Besiktas, with both teams holding a 7-5 record with six games left in the regular season.
Despite the absence of injured point guard Patrick Beverley, Hapoel seemed in complete control and was up 91-81 with under 3 minutes to go, but three turnovers on the next four possessions allowed Besiktas to rally. The main source of the visitors' comeback was Yigit Arslan, who caught fire.
"Luckily, we managed to put it out," said one of Hapoel's heroes on the night, Antonio Blakeney.
Arslan hit back-to-back threes within 16 seconds, before baskets from Kyle Allman and Dustin Sleva tied things up.
But Blakeney, who led Hapoel by scoring 21 points in regulation, netted the first 5 points in overtime and then started Hapoel's 12-0 run that allowed the team to close the game out without further drama.
"Once in overtime, you just want to win," Blakeney pointed out. "We don't care if it is by one [point], we just wanted to win the game."
So, even though the game ended with an important win, the story of the night was a near collapse that ruined all the good that Hapoel has done during the first 37 minutes.
"We're gonna analyze it and find out why," said coach Dimitris Itoudis. "It frustrates me because we have good ball handlers, inside we have the players who are point of emphasis in the paint, and we get into stupid mistakes.
"We could have ended it in regulation, but we wanted to do it the more difficult way. We looked like we were scared to win in regulation."
Interestingly, mistakes towards the end of regulation came from Yam Madar and Johnathan Motley, two go-to guys and two players who were integral in Hapoel leading in the first place.
Motley had 21 points, but also 7 turnovers, while Madar posted 16 points along with 6 assists.
"We've got a lot of time to get better," Blakeney said in a EuroLeague TV interview after the win. "I think we got better from the last EuroCup game we played. That's the main focus, to get better every day. Get one percent better every day, that's all that matters."
Hapoel is now 2-2 under Coach Itoudis, but thanks to pulling out a win, it moved into fourth place in Group A and two wins behind second-placed Dreamland Gran Canaria, which Hapoel visits next on the second day of the new year.
"We've got to continue to learn. We work hard. The transition period is obvious, but the players have a tremendous wish [to work]," Itoudis stressed.
He will be looking for answers for his team to get better, but also knowing that thanks to this overtime win, they hold their destiny in their own hands.