Holon hands Maccabi first opener loss in 23 yrs

Israel

The Israel Winner League opened it’s 2013-14 season with three games on Sunday and two on Monday and for the first time in 23 years league powerhouse Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv came up on the short end of the opening day score. Hapoel Holon welcomed the 50-time Super League champions Monday night and earned a 10-point victory, 83:73. In the other league contest played Monday Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Bnei Herzliya 76:75. On Sunday Maccabi Rishon LeZion won on the road against Ironi Ness Ziona, 77:86, Hapoel Eilat took to the road to play Gilboa Galil and came home with a 76:80 victory, and Maccabi Ashdod also picked up a road win when they visited Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem and earned an 80:83 win.

Hapoel Holon – Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, 83:73
Hapoel Holon used a 22:8 fourth quarter to stun the Israel hoops powerhouse Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv with an 83:73 win in Holon on Monday. Led by Guni Izraeli’s 26 points, Holon faced a five-point deficit at the half and turned on the scoring machine in the fourth while stopping Maccabi from doing the same.

Electra’s coach David Blatt elected to start David Blu, recently signed after taking a year off in what was to be his retirement. Blu hit the ground running, knocking down eight points early to help Electra get up 11:12 five minutes into the contest. The quarter ended with an Ezequiel Skverer triple to put Holon up 25:22.

Tyrese Rice took over for Maccabi and dropped in a pair of jumpers and a triple, while Holon did what they could to keep the lead. Ricky Hickman and Rice combined to give Maccabi a 0:10 run mid-way through the second to give Electra their first lead, 30:36, since early in the first. The remaining three minutes of the half were typical of early-season basketball with missed shots and turnovers, and the visitors held on to their margin to take a 39:44 advantage into the mid-game break.

Maccabi kept the pressure on in the third, slowly building their lead to 12 points, 45:57, mid-way through. They exchange baskets for the next few minutes with the guests holding on to their margin, but Holon put together a 14:5 run over the last three minutes to end the frame and draw to within 61:65 as the third 10 ended.

Holon added another four to start the fourth, knotting the score at 65 and extending their scoring run to 18:5. The lid fell on the Maccabi basket and they went scoreless for five minutes. Over the last three minutes of the contest the clubs spent more time on the free throw line than anything, with Holon dropping in the majority of their charity tosses and extending their lead each time they did so. They pulled away in the final minute, locking down a win and giving the Tel Aviv crew their first opener loss in 23 years.

Maccabi opened the game shooting 9 of 13 from long-range, but could only connect on 1 of their last 12 from behind the stripe. They also had trouble getting any points from their ‘bigs’, with the inside trio of Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Shawn James and Joe Ingles tallying a combined seven points and eight rebounds.

There were several things that stopped the momentum. We had too hard a time throwing in from out of bounds, and when the ball doesn’t come in time after time, you lose momentum and confidence. It’s not good to lose, but you need to know to look at the bigger picture, the season’s just started.
–Maccabi Electra head coach David Blatt

The win was the first for Holon over Maccabi since 2008 when they beat the Tel Aviv squad in the league championship match (Holon’s only league championship in team history).

I’m just happy that I hit my shots, I knew how important it was for Holon to beat Maccabi, but this is just crazy.
–Hapoel Holon’s Guni Izraeli

Israeli’s 26 was game-high for Holon and included 6 for 7 from behind the arc (7 of 8 from the field) and 6 of 6 from the line. Asbury added 14 points and 8 rebounds, Grant scored 12, Bowers tallied 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Hickman was high-man for Maccabi with 16 points, Blu and Rice scored 11 each, Landsberg knocked down 10, and Tyus contributed 9 points and 7 rebounds.

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