The visitors forced a barrage of turnovers from Joventut to get in the driver's seat for a runner-up finish.
Hapoel went back to defensive basics as it ended three-game skid
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Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv snapped a three-game losing streak in the BTK EuroCup at just the right time to secure a top-four finish in Group A and emerge as the favorite to clinch the all-important runner-up spot, which would provide a direct quarterfinal berth.
The 85-91 victory means that Hapoel will finish second with a match to spare if the London Lions lose at bottom team Cedevita Olimpija on Wednesday, otherwise, the Israeli side will likely need to beat Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 18.
Joventut now has it all to do if it is to snatch a top-four finish and hence home-court advantage in the playoffs, as the Spanish team faces a tough outing at Prometey Slobozhanske in the final regular season game.
Having conceded 100 points or more in their previous three games, Hapoel played aggressive defense from the start at Badalona and its commitment bore fruit as the visitors forced 21 turnovers from Joventut.
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That opened up a barrage of fastbreaks and Hapoel’s quick transition came to the fore, with Will Cummings scoring time and again from quick drives to the basket. He racked up 19 points, 3 assists and as many steals, after which Cummings stressed that the change in attitude was pivotal for Hapoel’s crunch win.
“It was all about getting back to the basics and defending, as that was missing,” Cummings said. “We gave up 113 points in the previous game so we came here with the focus that we have to defend. We did a really good job on defense and we’ll try to keep that going forward,” he added.
Head coach Danny Franco relentlessly urged his men during timeouts to keep their feet on the gas throughout the fast-paced contest, knowing that Joventut is a side capable of making big comebacks on home court.
Franco acknowledged that Hapoel had run out of steam in the fourth quarter when Joventut slashed a 58-80 deficit, but heaped praise on his team for holding on.
“We played extremely well for a lot of minutes,” Franco commented. “We had a lot of guys coming back from injuries and we got a little tired in the end, but I give a lot of credit to my players and coaches. Everybody stepped up tonight defensively and now it’s on to the next one.”
Joventut head coach Carles Duran conceded that the hosts were below par and reiterated they faced a do-or-die game at Prometey in the quest to secure a top-four finish. “We missed an opportunity today, but Hapoel played very well and they were very aggressive. We were poor the first 30 minutes and now it all comes down to the last game.”