Back on track: Hapoel beats Turk Telekom!
Hapoel defeated the Turks and Speedy Smith 94-77; Jared Harper finished a phenomenal night with 35 points
28/11/2024
| 22:30
| Post-Game
Hapoel closed out the first round of the EuroCup tonight (Thursday) in style, beating Turk Telekom 94-77 in the away game held in Belgrade, improving their record to 7-2. The Reds struggled a bit offensively in the first half and fell behind by double digits in the second quarter but made a comeback after halftime, closing the game with a fantastic 29-15 final quarter. Tonight Harper proved he is one of the best players in the competition, recording another monster night with 35 points, including a perfect 13/13 from the free-throw line. Kadine Carrington and Gabi Chachashvili were also excellent, with the former finishing with 19 points and the latter posting a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, seven of them offensive. However, no other player on the Reds scored in double digits.
Harper’s phenomenal night covered for a less impressive performance by the rest of Jonathan Alon’s squad, who made only five three-pointers out of 20 attempts and lost ten balls compared to 11 assists. But on such a night, when the Reds didn’t shine but still managed a comfortable victory, they prove they are a very tough team to beat. The capital’s team’s next EuroCup game will be next Wednesday when they visit Valencia for a top-of-the-group B clash, and before that, they will visit Hapoel Beer Sheva in the league next Sunday.
Game Flow:
Hapoel starting five: Jared Harper, Khadeen Carrington, Yovel Zoosman, Chris Johnson, Gabi Chachashvili.
Turk Telekom starting five: Speedy Smith, Javon Bass, Anthony Brown, Ismet Akpinar, Kyle Alexander.
The game started slowly with the scoreboard reading 3-3 after almost four minutes. Harper woke up for Hapoel with a basket and a foul, while Chachashvili and Javon Bass exchanged inside baskets. Brian Angola finished a nice personal play and added an assist to Bass’s three-pointer, while Chachashvili corrected a miss by Cornelius and then completed an impressive alley-oop from Harper, tying the game at 12-12. From there, the Reds were stuck without a field basket for three minutes until the end of the quarter, while the Turks hit free throws to lead 18-14 at the break.
The second quarter opened under Turkish control when Yvan Makoundou completed a basket and a foul. Carrington answered with his first points of the game, but then the Turks hit four three-pointers, including two consecutive by Speedy Smith, pushing Turk Telekom ahead 33-20. Hapoel tried to reduce the damage through Carrington and Chachashvili, but Alexander maintained the double-digit lead. Six straight points by the Reds, including a three-pointer by Jeremy Morgan, cut the gap to just two, but Angola responded with a basket and a foul, and Brown sealed the half from the line – Turk Telekom leading 44-39.
Philip’s debut in red
Hapoel returned sharper from halftime and managed to trouble the Turks offensively, while Carrington completed a basket and a foul, Morgan and Harper added a three-pointer each, and the latter also made a successful drive to set the score at 52-49 for the Reds. However, similar to the first quarter, Alon’s squad failed to score field baskets for several minutes again, and a three-pointer by the excellent Angola returned the lead to the Turks. Harper broke the drought, then the Turkish coach received a double technical foul and was ejected, with the Jerusalem guard hitting two free throws to restore the lead to his team. Carrington kept shining, finishing a successful drive before Angola ended the quarter with free throws at 65-62 for Hapoel. The teams exchanged baskets early in the last quarter, mostly from the big men, Chachashvili in red and Makoundou in white. Harper reached 25 points with a good drive, but Makoundou received a great assist from Smith to keep the Turks close. From there, the amazing guard took control with a 6-0 personal run, Johnson corrected a miss by Tarik Philip, who added two from the line on his way to a fantastic 83-70 lead. From that point, the Turks could not come back, Harper kept padding his stats, and Johnson sealed the result: 94-77 for Hapoel.
Scorers:
Hapoel: Harper 35 (13/13 FT), Carrington 19, Chachashvili 15 (11 rebounds, 7 offensive), Morgan 8, Zoosman 7, Johnson 4, Philip 3, Ogbeide 2, Cornelius 1. Also played: Dovrat.
Turk Telekom: Angola 15 (6 turnovers), Makoundou 14, Bass 12, Brown 11, Alexander 8, Smith 6 (7 assists), Akpinar 5, Dormaz 4, Henlen 2
Harper’s phenomenal night covered for a less impressive performance by the rest of Jonathan Alon’s squad, who made only five three-pointers out of 20 attempts and lost ten balls compared to 11 assists. But on such a night, when the Reds didn’t shine but still managed a comfortable victory, they prove they are a very tough team to beat. The capital’s team’s next EuroCup game will be next Wednesday when they visit Valencia for a top-of-the-group B clash, and before that, they will visit Hapoel Beer Sheva in the league next Sunday.
Game Flow:
Hapoel starting five: Jared Harper, Khadeen Carrington, Yovel Zoosman, Chris Johnson, Gabi Chachashvili.
Turk Telekom starting five: Speedy Smith, Javon Bass, Anthony Brown, Ismet Akpinar, Kyle Alexander.
The game started slowly with the scoreboard reading 3-3 after almost four minutes. Harper woke up for Hapoel with a basket and a foul, while Chachashvili and Javon Bass exchanged inside baskets. Brian Angola finished a nice personal play and added an assist to Bass’s three-pointer, while Chachashvili corrected a miss by Cornelius and then completed an impressive alley-oop from Harper, tying the game at 12-12. From there, the Reds were stuck without a field basket for three minutes until the end of the quarter, while the Turks hit free throws to lead 18-14 at the break.
The second quarter opened under Turkish control when Yvan Makoundou completed a basket and a foul. Carrington answered with his first points of the game, but then the Turks hit four three-pointers, including two consecutive by Speedy Smith, pushing Turk Telekom ahead 33-20. Hapoel tried to reduce the damage through Carrington and Chachashvili, but Alexander maintained the double-digit lead. Six straight points by the Reds, including a three-pointer by Jeremy Morgan, cut the gap to just two, but Angola responded with a basket and a foul, and Brown sealed the half from the line – Turk Telekom leading 44-39.
Philip’s debut in red
Hapoel returned sharper from halftime and managed to trouble the Turks offensively, while Carrington completed a basket and a foul, Morgan and Harper added a three-pointer each, and the latter also made a successful drive to set the score at 52-49 for the Reds. However, similar to the first quarter, Alon’s squad failed to score field baskets for several minutes again, and a three-pointer by the excellent Angola returned the lead to the Turks. Harper broke the drought, then the Turkish coach received a double technical foul and was ejected, with the Jerusalem guard hitting two free throws to restore the lead to his team. Carrington kept shining, finishing a successful drive before Angola ended the quarter with free throws at 65-62 for Hapoel. The teams exchanged baskets early in the last quarter, mostly from the big men, Chachashvili in red and Makoundou in white. Harper reached 25 points with a good drive, but Makoundou received a great assist from Smith to keep the Turks close. From there, the amazing guard took control with a 6-0 personal run, Johnson corrected a miss by Tarik Philip, who added two from the line on his way to a fantastic 83-70 lead. From that point, the Turks could not come back, Harper kept padding his stats, and Johnson sealed the result: 94-77 for Hapoel.
Scorers:
Hapoel: Harper 35 (13/13 FT), Carrington 19, Chachashvili 15 (11 rebounds, 7 offensive), Morgan 8, Zoosman 7, Johnson 4, Philip 3, Ogbeide 2, Cornelius 1. Also played: Dovrat.
Turk Telekom: Angola 15 (6 turnovers), Makoundou 14, Bass 12, Brown 11, Alexander 8, Smith 6 (7 assists), Akpinar 5, Dormaz 4, Henlen 2
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