Hapoel downs Barcelona 103-87 for first-ever EuroLeague win

It was a triumphant EuroLeague return for star playmaker Vasilije Micic

Regular Season

Round 1 of 38

game FC Barcelona vs Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv

Regular Season

Hapoel IBI Tel AvivHTA

10387

FC BarcelonaBAR

Overview

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Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv recorded its first-ever EuroLeague win right away by downing FC Barcelona 103-87 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Tuesday. Antonio Blakeney led the winners with 20 points off the bench, Vasilije Micic and Dan Oturu each scored 18, Chris Jones had 12 and Elijah Bryant netted 11 for Hapoel. Will Clyburn led Barca with 23 points and Jan Vesely and Kevin Punter each added 13 for the visitors.

Micic sparked Hapoel’s offense with a transition three-pointer, followed by a layup from Bryant for a 5–0 lead. Clyburn responded with a deep three and a driving layup before countering Oturu’s dunk with a close-range basket. Toko Shengelia’s layup soon gave Barca its first lead at 7–9. Ish Wainwright hit from beyond the arc and Oturu added another dunk to restore Hapoel’s advantage at 12–9. Tomas Satoransky and Punter each knocked down a triple before Micic found space for an uncontested layup. Punter nailed a step-back jumper, which was matched by Johnathan Motley’s powerful finish inside. Collin Malcolm took charge with an alley-oop layup, while Blakeney and Nico Laprovittola added three-pointers. Jones’s layup pushed Hapoel ahead 23–20. Laprovittola kept Barca in rhythm with a three-point play, and Blakeney traded triples with Dario Brizuela to level the score at 26–26 after the first quarter.

Wainwright electrified the crowd with a soaring put-back layup early in the second quarter. Tomer Ginat converted off an inbounds pass to extend Hapoel’s lead to 30–26. Shortly after, Jones capped a 9–0 run with a layup, forcing Barca to call timeout at 35–26. Vesely responded with a tip-in, and Clyburn followed Ginat’s layup with a three-pointer. Vesely then knocked down his signature mid-range jumper, prompting Hapoel to stop the game at 37–33. Antonio Blakeney kept the hosts in rhythm, but Shengelia and a relentless Clyburn brought Barca within striking distance at 40–37. Oturu and Shengelia exchanged baskets, and Malcolm added a paint finish for a 44–39 score. Oturu dominated with a put-back slam, and Bryant nailed a corner three to give Hapoel breathing room at 49–42. Vesely and Joel Parra chipped away at the deficit, bringing Barca within 51–45 at halftime.

Clyburn and Wainwright both connected from downtown shortly after the break. Oturu stepped up with a tip-in, which Clyburn matched with a put-back slam. He then added a driving layup to narrow the gap to 4 points. Oturu responded with a dunk and followed Micic’s three-pointer with an acrobatic layup, extending Hapoel’s lead to 63–54. Micic then scored on a strong drive to push the margin into double digits at 65–54. Punter came to Barca’s rescue with a deep three and a pair of free throws. Oturu, supported by Bryant, helped keep Hapoel in control at 71–61. Blakeney drained another three-pointer and soon stretched the lead to 77–61. Youssoupha Fall scored inside and followed Parra’s three-pointer with a dunk to bring Barca within 79–68. Jones hit from beyond the arc before Brizuela’s buzzer-beating layup set the score at 82–70 after three quarters.

Parra kept Barca in rhythm with a tip-in early in the fourth quarter. Satoransky followed with a dunk, but Micic and Blakeney quickly restored Hapoel’s lead to 86–72. Micic scored inside, assisted by Blakeney, in a sequence that seemed to break the game open at 90–74 with 7 minutes remaining. After Punter and Motley traded three-pointers, Vesely banked in a close-range shot. Jones answered with a triple to stretch the gap to 96–79. Vesely dunked and Clyburn added a jump hook, prompting Hapoel to call timeout at 96–85 with 3 minutes left. Vesely knocked down a mid-range jumper as Hapoel began managing the clock. Micic sealed the win with a huge step-back three in the penultimate minute, sparking celebrations among Hapoel fans for their team’s historic first-ever EuroLeague victory!