By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Launching the sixth straight Basketball Champions League in style, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem outlasts Galatasaray Ekmas after five extra minutes.
Behind closed doors in Belgrade, the Israeli club came back from a 15-point deficit and lack of game action for the win, 99-96, in overtime.
Seton Hall product Khadeen Carrington went for 27 points behind 9/16 field goals, including three triples in Regular Season Gameday 2 of Group G. Extending the huge contribution into the extra period, he made a couple of buckets with the second creating a two-possession separation with 36 seconds on the clock.
Connecting a three-pointer to force overtime with 13.3 seconds left in regulation, Speedy Smith kept his side going in a demanding situation. Apart from trailing by a margin of 15 points midway through the third period, Hapoel Jerusalem competed in an official game for the first time since winning Israel’s Winner League Cup in early October.
Smith ended up with 19 points and three of the seven team three-pointers. Levi Randolph packing 20 points was responsible for the remaining make from beyond the arc. Zach Hankins chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.
Noam Dovrat has yet to be cleared for action since having knee surgery last December. Besides the 21-year-old combo guard, the remaining players were available for head coach Aleksandar Dzikic for the 1-0 start in FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition.
“This is disgusting”
The team coached by Zvezdan Mitrovic was forced down to 0-2 in the four-team group, a few days after stunning Anadolu Efes to go up to 3-2 in Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi. The Montenegrin tactician was indeed ejected after being issued a second technical foul with 2:22 left in the extra period.
“What happened today on the court, this is disgusting to comment for me. Disgusting,” Mitrovic reacted to controversial officiating decisions, “We need to take care of the regularity of the competition. And I am sorry because the players fought. But they did not decide the game, the referees did.”
Akwasi Yeboah shared a game-high 27 points in the losing effort in Serbia. The British forward tucking in 7/8 three-pointers en route to a game-high efficiency rating of 27 was not enough for the Lions. Miralem Halilovic posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Postgame press conference
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League