FIBA Europe Cup domestic round-up: Bnei Herzliya top Maccabi in Israel

MUNICH (FIBA Europe Cup) – It was another memorable weekend for FIBA Europe Cup teams domestically, with Bnei Herzliya’s victory against Maccabi Tel-Aviv standing out as the top event.

Led by the phenomenal Karam Mashour, coach Mickey Gorka's side continued its unbeaten home run at the Hyuvel Hall this season by upsetting the giants of Israeli basketball.

Elsewhere, Gaziantep registered their first victory in the Turkish BSL league, while FIBA Europe Cup participants from France continued their dominance in the French LNB Pro A.

Bnei Herzliya top Maccabi to extend winning streak at home

Bnei Herzliya became the first team to hand Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel-Aviv a defeat in the domestic championship this season, with Mickey Gorka's side catching the titled opponents off-guard at home in the Hyuvel Hall.

After running away to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, Herzliya managed to fend off a rallying Maccabi down the stretch to claim an 84-82 victory, thus improving their mark to 3-3 in the standings.

Despite the close final score, Herzliya had control in their hands for the better part of the game, having started the first quarter with a 14-0 run that turned into a 32-14 lead by the end of the frame.

Although the hosts held Maccabi at arm's length throughout the game and were up by double figures for most of the time, the Tel-Aviv side put together a late comeback in the fourth quarter.

Herzliya had an 83-71 lead with four minutes to go, but a quick 11-1 spurt by the visitors put Sonny Weems in a position to send the game to overtime at the buzzer, but his jumper was off.

FIBA Europe Cup stand-out Karam Mashour continued to impress by putting together another excellent all-around display, finishing the game with 16 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.

The team's captain was given a much-needed helping hand by Jeff Adrien who had a game-high 20 points and Taurean Green who buried 5-of-9 from long-range for a total of 18 points.

In what has been an impressive run of form, the Herzliya club has not lost a single game on their home floor this season, both in the FIBA Europe Cup and the Israeli Winner BSL league.

Gaziantep claim overtime win in Turkey

Gaziantep put the early-season ghosts behind them in the Turkish BSL league over the weekend, celebrating its first victory in the domestic championship after five losses in a row to start the season.

Stefanos Dedas was happy to see his side fight until the end to defeat Best Balikesir 88-80 in an overtime game on Saturday evening, hinting in the post-game press conference that this might have been the most important victory of the young season.

"For the first time this season, we battled until the end. We played well against Galatasaray and Buyukcekmece, but we ultimately lost those games. I want to congratulate the team with the first win," said the relieved Gaziantep play-caller Dedas.

Marcus Denmon carried the team on his back in a time of need, scoring a game-high 27 points and forcing overtime with a coast-to-coast basket after pulling down a defensive rebound with 7 seconds left in regulation.

After a somewhat lucky escape at the end of the fourth quarter, Gaziantep dominated in the extra period thanks to none other than its leading scorer Denmon once agian.

Will Cherry also played an important role in the win with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Deyan Ivanov chipped in with 13 points and 6 boards.

Despite enjoying success in the FIBA Europe Cup, where the Turkish side is second in Group G with a 3-1 record, the nail-biting win on the domestic front finally lifted the psychological burden that came with being winless five games into the league season.

FIBA Europe Cup teams doing well in France

FIBA Europe Cup teams Nanterre 92, Elan Chalon and Pau-Lacq-Orthez are flying high in the LNB Pro A, where all three clubs are tied for second place in the standings following the completion of last week's action.

With identical 6-2 records, the trio are only a single win behind the league-leading AS Monaco. Elan Bearnais were in a position to be sharing the top spot, but fell short 85-70 against the newly-promoted Hyeres-Toulon.

Meanwhile, Nanterre and Elan Chalon celebrated wins during the weekend and caught up with their FIBA Europe Cup counterparts from Pau-Lacq-Orthez in the league table.

On Friday, Nanterre erased a 15-point second-half deficit to defeat Dijon 73-72 in overtime at Ville de Dijon after a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback.  

Chris Warren paced Pascal Donnadieau’s team with 25 points, while Mathias Lessort added 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Elan Chalon had a much more relaxed weekend, steamrolling past Limoges 90-66 at home in Le Colisee on Saturday, as Jean-Denys Choulet’s side inscribed their fourth victory in a row in the championship.

Lance Harris had a team-high 20 points for the victors, but Moustapha Fall’s double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds was equally impressive.

Elsewhere, BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque remain quite a bit behind the pace of the leaders after dropping to the 3-5 mark in the standings following a 73-70 loss on the road against ASVEL.

FIBA