Austin Wiley’s career night headlines a dominant team effort as Jerusalem sets new marks for points, margin, and first-half scoring
Jerusalem shatters records in historic 115-72 win over Slask
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 13 of 18
Regular Season
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Slask WroclawWKS
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Hapoel Midtown JerusalemJLM
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“I feel great,” said Austin Wiley, moments after he helped his Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem team break multiple club records and extend its winning streak to 10 games, defeating Slask Wroclaw 72-115.
The visitors arrived at Hala Orbita on a mission, controlling the pace from opening tip and finishing the opening half with 64 points, besting the previous club record of 61 for a EuroCup game. Despite the efforts of Ainars Bagatskis’s men, Jerusalem could not be slowed down and at the final buzzer, had passed its single-game total point record of 112, which stood for 18 years. To top off the monumental performance, Yonatan Alon’s team also recorded the largest margin of victory in club history.
The emphatic result punctuates a dominant run for the club, which improved its winning streak to 10 consecutive games, climbing to 11-2 for the campaign. There was not a facet of the game in which the road team did not overwhelm its Polish counterparts. Jerusalem outrebounded Slask by 13 boards, logged 15 more team assists and kept its turnovers in single digits. It shot the lights out, too, making 16 of 29 efforts from beyond the arc.
Wiley shone with a truly impressive double-double, recording a career-high 18 points and 12 boards in less than 15 minutes on the floor. Cassius Winston led the way in scoring, finishing the game with 22 of his own. Jared Harper scored steadily to earn 17 points and 8 assists. Justin Smith, Anthony Lamb and Isaiah Mobley also finished the game in double digits, with Lamb coralling 12 rebounds.
“It was a great team effort, a great win, everybody contributed,” said Wiley. “I am most proud that we held each other accountable throughout the game, even when we went up big, we kept the intensity and held each other accountable.”
For Coach Bagatskis and his team, the result is a major blow to their playoff hopes, as it slid to 4-9 for the season. He hopes that this demoralizing defeat will result in a lesson learned.
“In the second half, we let them do whatever they want,” said Bagatskis. “We did not use the fouls, did not use our bodies. I hope we take this game as a lesson for the next games. The basketball starts with the mindset you put in your head. You have to play physical, aggressive, even dirty if you want to compete with these guys.”
Slask will meet Umana Reyer Venice next Wednesday, as it hopes to bounce back from the crushing loss. On that same night, the seemingly unstoppable Jerusalem faces a tough test against Aris Thessaloniki Betsson.
