Xavier Munford pours in 31 points to pace the winners.
Hapoel outscores Joventut, 103-99, in playoff rematch

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv snapped its two-game losing streak by beating Joventut Badalona 103-99 in its first home game at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Round 8 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup campaign. The rematch from last season's quarterfinals, which Joventut won, was a highly entertaining duel, with Hapoel being in control of the game and withstanding a late comeback attempt by Joventut to clinch the victory. Hapoel improved to 5-2 on the season, while the Spanish side dropped to 3-5.
An extraordinary Xavier Munford recorded season-highs in points (31) and PIR (35) to lead the winners. Jaylen Hoard scored 18 points, with J’Covan Brown and Kyle Alexander adding 17 each. Brown also dished 9 assists. Andres Feliz paced Joventut with 24 points, Andrew Andrews netted 23, Deshaun Thomas registered 20 and a debutant Tyler Cook added 15.
There was a constant exchange of leads in the first quarter, with both teams embracing an entertaining fast tempo and offering great spectacle on the floor. Thomas opened the scoring from behind the arc, but Munford scored his first 5 points, with Alexander and Hoard adding another 4 each for a narrow 15-13 Hapoel lead. Cook came off the bench to make his EuroCup debut with Joventut and sank back-to-back baskets to bring the guests within 20-19. Idan Zalmanson made 2 from the line and scored a bucket to allow Hapoel to take a 26-19 lead into the second quarter.
Hoard helps Hapoel extend lead
Triples by Braian Angola and John Holland extended their team’s lead to double digits, 32-22. Joventut bounced back, as Pau Ribas nailed one from behind the arc, Feliz scored a layup and Thomas took his tally to 8 points to bring them within 34-30. Munford sank his third triple of the night and Hoard skied for a dunk in transition for a 44-35 Hapoel lead. Shortly after, a Thomas triple was followed by a couple of converted free throws by Hoard and Bar Timor scored one from downtown to secure a 54-44 Hapoel cushion heading into the second half.
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Munford remains hot from deep
Feliz knocked down his first triple of the night for Joventut’s first points after the break, but Alexander responded with back-to-back baskets. Andrews and Hoard exchanged buckets before Munford drilled yet another triple to give Hapoel a 63-53 cushion. Then, Munford sank one from the corner to go 6-for-7 from behind the arc and take his tally to 27 points with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. Ribas, Feliz and Thomas drilled a triple each to cut the deficit to 72-67. Brown sank a fade-away jumper to beat the third-quarter buzzer and gave Hapoel an 83-74 lead.
Joventut rally comes up short
An Andrews triple was followed by baskets from Feliz and Thomas, with Joventut trimming the difference to 87-83. Andrews and Angola exchanged buckets before Feliz made it a one-possession game, 89-87, with less than 5 minutes left on the clock. Alexander completed a three-point play, but Andrews responded with a corner triple. Feliz drilled Joventut’s 16th three-pointer of the night to match its EuroCup record of triples made in a single game, which made it 94-93. Then, Feliz tied the game with a layup, but Alexander responded with 4 unanswered points on the other end, 99-95. A Munford basket in transition was followed by back-to-back buckets from Cook and Andrews to bring Joventut within 101-99 with 15 seconds to go, but Brown made 2 from the line to seal the victory.