Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Gran Canaria convincingly 74–65 Tuesday night as Johnathan Motley proved to be unstoppable in a pivotal third quarter that helped the Reds to a double-digit lead and moved them to within one win of capturing the EuroCup title and a place in the Euroleague for next season.
Game 2 will be played on Friday night in the Canary Islands, as Gran Canaria’s back will be against the wall. However, should they win and tie the series up at 1–1, a decisive Game 3 will take place back in Samokov, Bulgaria – Hapoel’s home court due to the ongoing security situation in Israel.
Yam Madar and Antonio Blakeney were key contributors as the game got underway, as George Conditt and Andrew Albicy tried to keep the visitors close. But key baskets from Bruno Caboclo and Jonathan Motley sent Hapoel into halftime holding a 39-36 lead.
Motley came out like a man possessed in the third quarter as he scored at will, while Marcus Foster also found points to give Dimitrios Itoudis’s team a double-digit lead as it chalked up the victory.
Motley scored 18 points, Blakeney added 17 points, and Foster and Madar each scored 10 points in the win. Conditt scored 12 points for Canaria, Caleb Homesley put in 11 points, while John Shurna and Albicy each scored 10 points in the loss.
Hapoel owner Ofer Yannay spoke about the process of being so close to winning the EuroCup.
“We had the dream and we wanted to bring in the most talented players, which was followed up by bringing in a top coach in Dimitrios Itoudis. We have been able to get the maximum out of this process. I understand that we still have work to do and I also know that this is something huge for the club and for the country. We are working on getting into the Euroleague not only through the EuroCup but also by obtaining a B license. This will do so much for Israel as well. I hope that we don’t have to come back to Samokov for another game and that we can go into Passover with a title.”
“Congrats to the players,” a thrilled Itoudis said. “It was a game where you could see how composed the team was, on both sides of the ball. We understood at halftime what we needed to do defensively. There are small details that have to be decisive at certain moments, and the defense really decided the game. It feels like we are playing at home here in Samokov, but let’s bring the games back to Tel Aviv. We will watch the film, analyze, and see how it goes from there as we prepare for game two.”
“It was a very physical game,” Gran Canaria Head Coach Jaka Lakovic said. “Every possession was on a foul limit; both teams played very aggressively throughout the whole game. Our first half was solid and we were in the game, but the start of the third quarter was crucial for the result of the game. A couple of bad decisions, and Hapoel took advantage with a 10-point lead and controlled it from there.”
Motley, the game’s MVP, spoke about the win:
“I did everything to help my team win, and we want to try to keep going and win the next game. We were happy with the defense, but we were missing some offensive execution in the first half. We wanted to come out aggressive in the third quarter – I wanted to help out and I started that. If we keep playing defense like this, we will be hard to beat. The goal will be to hold them to 60 points next game, and we have so much talent that the offense will take care of itself.”
Blakeney also reflected on the win:
“We are just worried about winning and we don’t care at this point who scores and who hits the shots. Coach is on me about my defense every day, and he has told me to be better on defense and make the right pass. That has added a dimension to my game to help the team. I am always ready for big games and I let my work speak on the court. I haven’t played many games in Europe, but I have a great supporting cast here. We are going to attack the upcoming days and we will prepare for the next game and focus each day to get ready for that game.”
