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Hapoel Tel Aviv secured a direct berth in the EuroCup quarterfinals after a hard-fought 97-90 victory over ratiopharm Ulm on Wednesday night.
The Israeli club’s triumph cemented its second-place finish in Division A, setting up a home fixture in the next round of the competition.
Johnathan Motley led the charge for Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad, delivering a dominant performance with 24 points. Marcus Foster and Yam Madar also played crucial roles, each contributing 18 points to the comeback win.
Despite strong performances from Ulm’s Ben Saraf, Justinian Jessup, and Alfonso Plummer, who helped their team build a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Tel Aviv surged back in the final minutes. Madar stepped up in the clutch, scoring key baskets to seal the victory.
Hapoel Tel Aviv now awaits the winner of the round-of-16 matchup between Turk Telekom and Buducnost. Should the Reds advance past the one-game elimination quarterfinal, they will face one of Valencia, Wolves, or Cluj in a best-of-three semifinal series.
Before their EuroCup playoff campaign continues, Tel Aviv will turn its attention to a high-stakes State Cup semifinal clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Monday night in Jerusalem.
Reflecting on the victory, Itoudis emphasized the importance of heart and belief. “The mathematics wasn’t important here, but what mattered was the heart and belief, and we talked about that at halftime,” he said.
“We were always a step behind on their great shooters, but we knew we had to play better with improved spacing and stronger defense. We played a great team that had its own target as well.”
Game MVP Motley acknowledged Ulm’s toughness but praised his team’s resilience. “This was a very tough game against a hard team who were fast, denied the ball, and played well on the boards,” he said.
“Ulm was a tough team with a good coach, but we did what we needed to at the end. We have a lot of experience, and we were able to come back from a deficit to take the win.”
Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, Hapoel Jerusalem cruised past Turk Telekom 76-66 to claim second place in Division B and a direct spot in the EuroCup quarterfinals.
Jared Harper led the scoring with 21 points, while Khadeen Carrington added 17 points. Chris Johnson and Yovel Zoosman also made significant contributions to the victory.
The Jerusalem squad established an early lead and never looked back, heading into halftime with a commanding 39-27 advantage.
Despite a solid effort from Turk Telekom’s Anthony Brown and Olivier Hanlan, the Israeli team’s defensive discipline proved too much for their opponents.
In the upcoming quarterfinals, Hapoel Jerusalem will host the winner of the round-of-16 battle between Gran Canaria and Venezia.
Head coach Aleksandar Džikić praised his team’s focus and execution. “The guys came in very focused,” he said.
“They knew exactly what they needed to do, and they had the character to make sure they executed. To finish in second place in the EuroCup allows us to continue striving for our goals.”
Elsewhere in Euroleague action, Maccabi Tel Aviv endured a crushing 100-71 defeat against Barcelona. Kevin Punter led the Spanish giants with 28 points, while Maccabi struggled to keep pace in the second half.
The Israeli team will look to bounce back when they face Baskonia on Friday before their State Cup semifinal showdown against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members