 Hapoel Jerusalem made it to the Eurocup Quarterfinals by rallying to beat Galatasaray Cafe Crown 98-111 in Istanbul, Turkey in Group J on Tuesday night. Hapoel finished second in Group J with a 4-2 record and will face Alba Berlin in the upcoming two-way quarterfinals. Galatasaray was fourth at 0-6. Besides sealing its ticket to the Quarterfinals, Hapoel also set a new Eurocup all-time record for points in one quarter with 44. Hapoel broke the previous record of 40, set by Dynamo Moscow in 2008. Yuval Naimy paced the winners with 27 points on 9-of-12 two-pointers, 3-of-4 triples and 7 assists. Tre Simmons added 25 points, Dijon Thompson had 20, Pooh Jeter got 13 - all in the second half - while Uri Kokia and Leo Lyons each contributed 10 for Hapoel. Mike Wilkinson led Galatasaray with 27 points on 7-of-8 two-pointers. Darius Washington added 22, Simas Jasaitis had 21 while Rado Rancik got 18 for the hosts. An outstanding Naimy allowed Hapoel to get a 22-32 lead after 10 minutes. Washington and Jasaitis shined in the second quarter to tie the game, 51-51, at halftime. A free throw by Wilkinson gave Galatasaray its biggest lead, 74-65, late in the third quarter. It didn't last long, however, as Jeter took over eraly in the fourth period. Thompson and Naimy fueled a 0-16 run that broke the game open, 82-95, enough for Hapoel to cruise to a well-deserved win.
Kokia got Hapoel going with a layup, igniting a 0-6 opening run that Naimy capped with a jumper. Jasaitis and Kokia traded layups but a big triple by
Washington and a jumper by Wilkinson got the hosts as close as 7-8. Naimy kept pacing Hapoel with back-to-back jumpers but Jasaitis answered from downtown
for a 10-12 score. Thompson and Wilkinson traded baskets, as Hapoel had fully adjusted its defense. Simmons shined with consecutive triples, igniting a 0-8
run that Kokia capped with free throws to give Hapoel its first double-digit lead, 12-22. Wilkinson downed a three-pointer but Leo Lyons and Thompson kept
Hapoel way ahead, 16-27. Wilkinson and Rancik stepped up with back-to-back layups but Naimy followed a triple with another jumper to make Hapoel restore a
22-32 margin after 10 minutes. Wilkinson nailed his second triple early in the second quarter and Washington added a layup for a 27-34 Galatasaray deficit.
Naimy sank a jumper and Lyons added free throws, as both teams traded baskets at full speed now. Washington hit free throws and Jasaitis added a layup but an
unstoppable Naimy struck from downtown to kept Hapoel out of trouble at 35-45. Free throws by Rancik ignited a 9-0 run in which Washington had 5 points to
bring the hosts back to life, 44-45. Naimy sank another shot but Murat Kaya found his first points and Rancik struck from downtown to complete Galatasaray's
comeback, 49-47. Naimy scored again and even when Rancik hit free throws, a put-back layup by Thompson tied the game, 51-51, at halftime.
Jasaitis downed a three-pointer immediately after the game and Rancik added a layup-plus-foutl to give Galatasaray a 57-51 edge. It didn't last long, however, as a layup off a steal by Naimy ignited a 0-6 run which Kokia capped with an easy basket, good for a 57-57 tie. Wilkinson kept pacing the hosts with a layup and a big triple by Washington put Galatasaray back ahead, 62-59. Hapoel kept looking for its big men, as back-to-back layups by Lyons and Kokia brought the guests within 64-63. Wilkinson struck from downtown and Jasaitis copied him soon after that to give Galatasaray a five-point lead, 70-65. Jasaitis downed another three-pointer and Wilkinson split free throws but a layup by Jeter brought the guests within 74-67 at the end of the third quarter. Simmons and Jasaitis traded three-pointers early in the fourth quarter and Jeter scored again to give Hapoel some hope at 77-72. Simmons insisted from downtown and even when Washington answered in the same way, a put-back layup by Sharon Shason and a dunk by Thompson made it a one-point game, 80-79. Wilkinson kept pacing Galatasaray with a layup but Hapoel improved its defense right when it mattered. A jumper by Naimy ignited a game-breaking 0-16 run in which Simmons had 7 points. By the time Thompson scored off a steal, Hapoel had sealed the outcome, 82-95, with under 3 minutes left. Thompson struck from downtown and then followed a layup with free throws, as Hapoel stayed aggressive and managed to beat a Eurocup scoring record that gave with a Quarterfinals berth.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Eurocupbasketball.com
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