By Stefan Acevski / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid and Hapoel Tel Aviv are playing the first game of their EuroLeague Quarterfinal series in Spain, and the visitors will finish this match without their head coach on the bench.
With seven minutes remaining, and Real leading 77-64, Dimitris Itoudis was ejected after receiving his second technical foul.
Itoudis received his first technical foul in the first half and the second at the start of the final quarter, just as his team was making a comeback.
Hapoel’s coach demanded a foul on Dan Oturu, but Ilija Belosevic ultimately gave him a second technical and ejection. However, Itoudis refused to go to the locker room and instead stayed by the court to watch the game.
Itoudis spoke after loss in Madrid
After the game, coach Itoudis gave his thoughts on Game 1.
“Congratulations to Real, it was a little bit late. We fought, but starting with three more fouls to give and giving up 27 points was a problem. Combined with a zone defense, we kind of stopped them, they were missing shots, but they were getting ball from our hands, our boards, it hurt us a lot. It was a good fight until the end, we could have turned it down, but they got Game 1.”