By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After the cup break, you can expect an upset, and that’s what happened in Belgrade.
Maccabi Tel Aviv got the totally unexpected 94-76 win over Fenerbahce, just their seventh in the second for a 7-20 record, while the guest dropped to 17-9, at the moment two wins behind the first spot and Olympiacos (19-7).
Roman Sorking, with 21 points, and Jasiel Rivero, with 18, led the charge for the home side, while Levi Randolph added 16.
However, the most important stat was that Maccabi shot 53% in two-pointers and 43% in threes (9/21). while Fenerbahce made just 12 threes in 45 attempts, just 26,7% efficiency.
Wade Baldwin and Nigel Hayes-Davis, with 12 points each, were the top scorers of Fenerbache.
Sarunas Jasikevicius emphasized Fenerbahce’s poor mental effort. “From the beginning, Maccabi was taking 50-50 balls; they were jumping all over our heads,” he said at his press conference.
“They came out from halftime and immediately scored 31 points against us. It tells you everything about our mental preparation: we were not ready to play, and we paid the price,” Saras added.
Maccabi dominating the second half
Maccabi was missing both Tamir Blatt and Rokas Jokubaitis, plus Jalen Hoard, but still opened the game leading 25-21 after the first period.
At halftime, Fenerbahce got the 46-41 lead, and everyone expected that the guests would cruise until the end after that.
However, Fenerbahce scored just 17 points in the third period and 13 in the fourth, while Maccabi scored a total of 53 points.
The guests managed to make it a 7-point game (81-74) with five minutes left, however, they scored only two more points after that, almost inexplicably.
“A lot of players stepped up; they were waiting for the opportunity, and I’m very happy. In the second half, we played great defense, we controlled the game. It’s not what we’re used to,” Maccabi coach Oded Kattash commented.
Photo credit: EuroLeague