By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Vincent Poirier dunked the ball with 11 seconds left, Maccabi Tel Aviv couldn’t make the last shot and KIROLBET Baskonia escaped with the crucial 81-79 win from Israel.
The guests got their first win in five years on the road against Maccabi with Poirier having a double-double (12 p. 12 r.), captain Tornike Shengelia scoring 20 points and Matt Janning adding 16.
“We never gave up against a very good team and we were also a bit lucky in the end, to win in this court you have to be a bit lucky“, admitted Baskonia‘s coach Velimir Perasovic.
Baskonia started the game by leading after the end of the first period (22-17), but the hosts quickly turned the tables. By keeping the guests to 14 points in the second period, Maccabi got a 41-36 halftime lead and built a 10-point advantage (55-45) after five minutes of action in the third quarter.
Johnny O’Bryant led a balanced offensive effort with 11 points up to this point, but defense was the name of the game. To be exact, that was also the way Baskonia reacted. The third quarter ended with Maccabi leading by seven (61-54), however Baskonia thanks to a 6-0 run and cut the lead to the minimum possible (61-60).
With the game on the line, DeAndre Kane and Scottie Wilbekin made two big threes that gave to Maccabi a seven-point lead again (71-64) with five minutes left. The answer was also two threes by Janning to make it again a one-point game (71-70) and finally, the game was tied at 73 thanks to another three by Darrun Hilliard with three minutes left.
Toko Shengelia with two free throws gave the lead to Baskonia (77-76) and Poirier made it a three-point game (79-76) in favor of the guests. And once more Maccabi tied the game from the free throws line, setting the stage for the thrilling finale.
“We lost some easy basket and we lost our concentration at the end, letting Baskonia score 27 points in the last quarter“, said Maccabi’s coach Giannis Sfairopoulos. “We now have to keep our heads up, to continue our effort and be prepared for the next game. We have talented players who have to understand the game in Europe. Baskonia played smart and we have to learn to do that too”.
O’Bryant finished the game with 12 points and Alex Tyus also scored 12, while Wilbekin and Kane had 13 each. Wilbekin also couldn’t even take the last shot, losing the ball to Shengelia.