The Israeli side ran out a comfortable winner on the back of a huge performance from its big man
Hapoel blows by Besiktas, 87-101, as Jonathan Motley shines
Game Report
3 Mins read
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv improved its Group A record in the BKT EuroCup to 2-1 after romping away to an 87-101 road win over Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, largely thanks to a superb display from its off-season acquisitions.
Center Jonathan Motley racked up a game-high 24 points to go with 6 boards and 4 assists for Hapoel while guard Patrick Beverley chipped in with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Marcus Foster also scored 16 points and Bar Timor added 15 for a well-oiled Hapoel outfit which fired on all cylinders throughout the contest.
At the other end, Derek Needham paced Besiktas with 17 points, Dustin Sleva amassed 14 and Emanuel Terry netted 12. Kyle Allman posted 11 points and Kelan Martin added 10 for the Turkish side, which slipped to a second successive defeat after its opening win against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.
Following a balanced start to the game, Hapoel went on a 2-12 run midway through the first quarter to open up an 11-21 lead before Besiktas hit back to slash the deficit to 22-24 at the end of the opening period.
The home team then nosed ahead 29-28 but that turned out to be its only lead of the game, as Hapoel replied with a staggering 3-19 run moments later, which gave the visitors a whopping 34-51 advantage in the closing stages of the first half.
Having closed the gap to 41-54 at halftime, Besiktas was unable to keep up its comeback in the third quarter, with Motley running riot as he propelled Hapoel into a 60-81 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes.
Besiktas was able to take some comfort from occasional flashes of brilliance, namely spectacular alley-oops crafted out by Kyle Allman and Emanuel Terry, but Hapoel stood firm to maintain its insurmountable 21-point lead, 72-93, midway through the fourth.
Only then did Besiktas manage to put a few strings together on offense and go on an 11-1 run, but it was just too little too late as Hapoel closed the game out comfortably and celebrated an impressive win, which will surely boost the Israeli side’s confidence ahead of upcoming challenges.
