By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv prevailed with a 93-76 victory against CSKA Moscow on the road, for the first time since 2004, in Round 18 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The Israeli side moves up to a 7-11 record while forcing the Russians to their fifth defeat of the season.
“It was very important that our players keep their concentration until the end and as long as we had the lead during the game we started to believe more and more. In the end, we won the game and we deserved to win with the way that we played”, mentioned Giannis Sfairopoulos after the game.
Johnny O’Bryant came clutch for the visitors, posting 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists while leading the way in the second half.
John DiBartolomeo (8 p.) pushed the deficit to 10 points at 33′, leaving space for Sfairopoulos’ team in the final minutes of the game, as Yovel Zoosman (15 p.) kept setting fire from the three-point line, leading his team to the victory.
The young NBA prospect didn’t miss a shot (4/4 2p. 2/2 3p. 1/1 FT) on the way to an admirable performance.
On the other side of the court, Nando De Colo added 16 points and six assists for CSKA that still remains third in the standings behind Fenerbahce and Real Madrid.
“What characterizes us as a team is the ball movement. Tonight was not like that. […] It’s not the end of the year, one loss or two or three is not the end”, commented Dimitris Itoudis after the game. “It’s a loss and a step back on what we were trying to accomplish. It’s not a time for words, it’s time to work on the court, and we will do so tomorrow.”
Notably, Maccabi scored with an outstanding 75% efficiency from up close, while making 4/21 three-pointers, in their first victory in Moscow since their 83-80 triumph back on February 12, 2004!