

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv marched into the 7DAYS EuroCup last eight after a strong team effort with six players positing double figures in scoring, gave the Israeli side a 90-80 home win over Umana Reyer Venice in the first knockout round of the competition on Wednesday. It was a big night for EuroCup debutant Hapoel and the home team responded with a superb performance in front of a frenetic crowd that roared on the hosts from start to finish, having given them a standing ovation after the contest.
Xavier Munford and Bar Timor paced Hapoel with 13 points each, J’Covan Brown had 12 points and 8 assists, Chinanu Onuaku scored 11 points while Tomer Ginat and Idan Zalmanson netted 10 each – the latter also racking up 5 rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court. At the other end, Jayson Granger posted a game-high 18 points, Derek Willis scored 16 while Amedeo Tessitori and Jordan Parks amassed 13 apiece.
Hapoel, which has now won nine of its last 10 EuroCup games, will face Joventut Badalona on the road for a semifinal berth after the Spanish side overcame the London Lions at home, 89-78.
The home team made a somewhat jittery start as baskets were hard to come by in the opening exchanges, with both sides forced to take tough long-range shots in the wake of some aggressive defending. Reyer nosed ahead 9-12 midway through the first quarter before Hapoel put together a whirlwind of a 26-4 run stretching into the second period, allowing the home side to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Hapoel threatened to vanquish Reyer before halftime as Timor scored 8 successive points without reply at the start of the second quarter, but the visitors were able to regain some of their composure as they cut the gap to 48-32 at the interval.
Battling Reyer continued to claw its way back into the contest with the score 57-43 midway through the third quarter before Hapoel produced a 10-2 run and then stayed on course to maintain a 77-55 heading into the final 10 minutes. The home team repeatedly pierced through Reyer’s defense with pick-and-roll plays which left big men Onuaku and Zalmanson with easy shots at the rim, while Brown dished out assists like confetti.
However, the game was far from over as a contest and Reyer came storming back in the fourth quarter as Hapoel’s offense came to a screeching halt. Having ramped up their defense, the visitors conjured a 20-3 run which slashed the deficit to 80-75 and several minutes later it was 84-80, with the passionate home crowd showing anxiety as Hapoel appeared to have run out of steam.
Brown then nailed a tough lay-up off the glass and with Reyer misfiring in their last few possessions, the hosts were able to seal their victory thanks to ice-cool free-throw shooting from Xavier Munford in the final minute, as he sank 4 shots from as many attempts from the foul line down the stretch.