EUROLEAGUE – Splitter, Huertas and Eliyahu Shine as Caja Laboral down Maccabi

VITORIA (Euroleague) - Caja Laboral hit back from last week's setback in Rome to defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night in the Euroleague.

Brazil international center Tiago Splitter, warming up for next year's FIBA World Championship in Turkey, erupted for 26 points in an 86-81 triumph in Vitoria where a crowd of 9,600 watched.

Israel's Lior Eliyahu went up against his old team and scored 12 points while also pulling down seven rebounds.

Splitter's Brazil teammate, Marcelo Huertas, hit all three of his shots from long range and had 16 points.

"We won a complicated game against a traditionally tough rival," Huertas said.

"Contrary to the game against Roma, this time we knew how to react and get the win.

"After a very good first half, we lost our focus in the third quarter and they took advantage of the opportunity, above all by hitting their threes, to tie the game up.

"But the last quarter was ours. We moved the ball well, and we deserve this victory that will give us a lot of confidence moving forward."

A week sure made a lot of difference for BC Khimki, who had won at home against Real Madrid in their first game and travelled to Greece to take on the defending Euroleague champions Panathinaikos.

Zeljko Obradovic's Greens destroyed Khimki, 101-66, with Greek basketball icon Dimitris Diamantidis scoring 22 points.

Maroussi suffered heartbreak at the buzzer last week at home against CSKA Moscow when Viktor Khryapa hit a game-winning three-ball but they bounced back impressively at Olimpija Ljubljana.

Dimitrios Mavroeidis had 18 points for Maroussi in their 81-75 win.

While Greece international Nick Calathes had six assists but failed to score for Panathinaikos in their win, his brother Pat shone for Maroussi by scoring 13 points in 26 minutes.

Pat Calathes was six of eight from the field, including a make on his only attempt from three-point range.

In other games, Montepaschi Siena hammered Zalgiris Kaunas 84-64, Regal Barcelona thumped Cibona 81-59, Efes Pilsen defeated Partizan Belgrade 77-67 and Lietuvos Rytas prevailed at Entente Orleanaise 69-62.

Maroussi and French outfit Entente Orleanaise had to go through the qualifying rounds to make it to the Euroleague.

FIBA