By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Marcus Foster scored 16 out of his 21 points in the second half while collecting eight rebounds as Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Turk Telekom 67 – 61 to become the third team to advance to the EuroCup semifinals.
This is the first time that Hapoel Tel Aviv moves to the EuroCup semifinals after going as far as the quarterfinals in the two previous seasons.
“This is what playoff basketball is about. Sometimes it’s not pretty so go yout to find a way to win,” Foster said. “For me individually, it’s just about finding ways to help my team in many ways. My coach, the fans and my teammates push me to a whole different level.”
Foster made a tough bucket for the 63 – 58 with 1:12 remaining and while Turk Telekom was trying to comeback from down 61 – 49 halfway through the fourth period. The Turkish side never managed to get closer than three points as Hapoel held on and hit the decisive free throws in the last minute.
Olivier Hanlan (17 points) and Braian Angola (15 points) were the leading scorers of Turk Telekom. Their team led 30 – 34 early in the second half but then Foster erupted with 11 points over the next three minutes and Hapoel closed the third quarter up 52 – 45. The Israeli side then took a double-digit advantage and repelled their opponents’ comeback effort down the stretch.
Yam Madar (12 points) also scored in double figures for Hapoel that was 18 – 3 on offensive rebounds and had 13 second-chance points against none by the Turkish team.