Maccabi Tel Aviv falls to Barcelona 88-86 after late comeback

Barcelona edged out Maccabi Tel Aviv 88-86, with the trio of Kevin Punter, Jabari Parker, and Justin Anderson leading the visitors to victory at Pionir Arena in Belgrade.

The loss dropped the yellow-and-blue’s Euroleague record to 4-10, marking their second consecutive double-week sweep in less than a month.

Anderson, Punter, and Parker helped Joan Peñarroya’s squad take an early 22-16 lead, but inspired play from Tamir Blatt, Jasiel Rivero, Jaylen Hoard, and Levi Randolph gave Oded Katash’s team a 44-37 advantage at halftime. Maccabi extended the lead to 60-45 with strong contributions from Blatt and Randolph, but Parker, aided by key baskets from Willy Hernangómez, brought Barcelona back to seal the win.

Hoard scored 20 points, Blatt added 14 points and 10 assists, and Randolph chipped in 12 points in the loss. Punter and Parker each scored 18 points, while Anderson added 16 points for the win.

“We played against a really good team and played the right way for most of the game,” Katash said. “For 25 minutes, we controlled the game and played our game. We need more time to improve and be more consistent. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but we need to keep our heads up and keep learning.”

Important win

“This was an important victory for us,” Peñarroya said. “Maccabi started the third quarter with a 9-0 run, and we were down by 15 points. This was a 50/50 game, and I’m proud of the team’s character. We believed in ourselves, played better on defense and offense, and showed resilience in a very competitive Euroleague.”

In Israeli league action, meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem narrowly defeated Hapoel Galil Elyon 84-80 in overtime, with Jared Harper starring in the second half and sealing the game from the free-throw line.

Guni Israeli’s team started strong, with Lior Carreira and Rawle Alkins controlling the pace, but Derek Ogbeide, Or Cornelius, and Yovel Zoosman helped Yonatan Alon’s squad take a 37-28 halftime lead.

Jared Harper’s scoring surge tied the game at 72-72, sending it to overtime. In the extra session, Harper continued his dominance, including crucial free throws, to secure the win.

Harper scored 29 points, Zoosman added 16, and Ogbeide chipped in 11 for Jerusalem. Carreira scored 25 points, Alkins had 18, and Marcus Carr added 15 for Galil Elyon.

“We can take a lot out of this game,” Alon said. “We’ll learn from this and focus on being more aggressive and starting games better. This isn’t the way we should play, but we came away with the win.”

“I’m proud of my players,” Israeli said. “We played tight defense and kept them to 70 points in regulation. Despite dealing with injuries, the team fought hard. While I don’t believe in moral victories, I’m impressed with our effort.”

Jerusalem’s Zoosman acknowledged his team’s need for improvement, saying, “We weren’t aggressive enough, and Galil wanted the game more. We need to finish games better. Losing this one would have been a huge shock.”

Elsewhere, Elitzur Netanya defeated Maccabi Ramat Gan 95-89 at home.

The visitors opened with eight consecutive three-pointers, with Roi Huber, Isaiah Miles, and Roberto Gallinat leading the charge. However, Kyler Edwards, Itay Moskovitz, and Carlos Marshall closed the gap to 54-49 by halftime. Edwards and Bryce Washington powered Netanya to a comeback win.

Edwards scored 23 points, Marshall added 19, and Washington chipped in 16 for the hosts. Gallinat had 19 points, and Huber recorded 18 points and 10 assists for Ramat Gan.

Bnei Herzliya topped Hapoel Haifa 109-101, with six players scoring in double digits. Tyler Bey, Willy Workman, and Jon Davis led Haifa early, but Chris Silva, Josh Hawley, and Ethan Burg kept Herzliya close. Strong second-half performances by John Meeks and Jimmy Clark sealed the victory.

Meeks scored 26 points, Clark added 18 points, 9 assists, and 9 steals, while Burg contributed 19 points. Bey led Haifa with 30 points in the loss.

In another high-scoring game, Ness Ziona beat Hapoel Beersheba 107-97.

Darnell Edge and Bryce Brown dominated for the hosts, while Ron Zipper and Ray Spalding shone for the visitors, giving Beersheba a 54-46 halftime lead. Edge and Brown’s second-half heroics turned the tide.

Edge and Brown each scored 29 points for Ness Ziona, while Zipper notched a career-high 23 points in a losing cause.