The winning streak ended against Valencia
Despite a great second half, Hapoel couldn’t hand the Spaniards their first loss and fell 96-83 after nine consecutive wins. (Photo: Miguel ?ngel Polo)
04/12/2024
| 23:45
| Post-Game
After a streak of four consecutive EuroCup wins and nine in all competitions, Hapoel was stopped tonight (Wednesday) by Spanish Valencia with a 96-83 loss on the road, dropping to a 3-7 record in Group B of the European competition. The Spaniards made eight three-pointers just in the first quarter, and in the second quarter went on a scorching 0-20 run to build a 19-point lead by halftime. Jonathan Alon’s fighting squad did not give up and managed to cut the deficit to just ten points in the final quarter, but the hosts kept finding answers time after time and maintained a safe distance, finishing just one point below their season average. Chris Jones had a great night for Valencia with 20 points, including five three-pointers on six attempts.
Despite the loss, the Reds can take heart from winning both halves after the break and limiting their opponent to 37 points in the second half - just four more than Valencia scored in the entire first quarter. Jared Harper was relatively quiet against his former team with 16 points but, like his teammates, showed strong defense - especially in the second half - proving he can be dominant on that end of the floor as well. Chris Johnson recorded a great double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, showing his typical toughness under the basket. Kadeem Carrington led the scoring with 17 points - one of only two players on the team to finish with a positive plus-minus rating, alongside Yuval Zoosman, who contributed 13 points and plenty of defensive activity. The league leaders will return to the court this coming Saturday night, hosting Hapoel Galil Elyon at Pais Arena.
Harper struggled against his former team (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
Game Summary:
Hapoel starting five: Jared Harper, Kadeem Carrington, Yuval Zoosman, Chris Johnson, Gabi Chachashvili
Valencia starting five: Chris Jones, Branco Badio, Semi Ojeleye, Matt Costello, Jaime Pradilla
The Spaniards started at a dizzying pace, racing to a 9-2 lead with three different players hitting three-pointers, but Hapoel stayed in the game thanks to five straight points from Harper — including a three-pointer of his own. The Reds showed decent offensive performance with some aggressive moves from Johnson, but on the other side the hosts just kept firing from beyond the arc - after less than six minutes the scoreboard showed 22-13. Jonathan Alon’s team answered with a 10-2 run capped by five points from Carrington in eight seconds, but Valencia responded with a three-pointer of their own - and a three from Jeremy Morgan ended the hectic first quarter with Valencia leading 33-26. The Spaniards, who were 8 for 11 on their first three-point attempts, calmed down a bit at the start of the second quarter but managed to keep their lead - with only Harper managing to score a field goal for Hapoel. Valencia went on another 10-0 run, including two threes and a quick layup, opening a 17-point gap. Even Alon’s timeout couldn’t stop the momentum, as the Spaniards showed their strength on defense too, keeping Hapoel scoreless for over five minutes - a basket by Tarik Phillip was even disallowed after a challenge due to basket interference. The hosts scored 20 unanswered points to reach a 57-30 lead. Johnson slowed the bleeding a bit with four points and an assist to Derek Ogbeide, minimizing damage before halftime - 59-38 for the hosts at the break.
Dovrat. Hapoel struggled against the Spaniards (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
Carrington came out firing in the third quarter with three consecutive three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 12. Pradilla stopped the run with his own three-pointer, but Hapoel remained the better team in those minutes - Harper hit a big three at the shot clock buzzer and added two free throws to make it 66-56. The Spaniards answered again with two threes to restore their 16-point lead, and even when Hapoel trimmed it by two more points, Jones hit a frustrating buzzer-beating three to close the third quarter at 79-62. The Spanish lead grew again to 83-62 early in the final quarter. Hapoel responded with great defensive minutes and some good plays by Chachashvili on offense, going on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to just ten points - but that was as close as they got, as Jones hit his fifth three-pointer on six attempts to seal the game at 96-83 for Valencia.
Hapoel scorers: Carrington 17 (5-10 threes), Harper 16 (6-8 free throws, 4 assists), Johnson 15 (6-8 two-pointers, 12 rebounds), Zoosman 13 (4-4 free throws), Morgan 8 (4 assists, 3 steals), Chachashvili 8 (5 rebounds), Ogbeide and Phillip 4 each. Also played: Dovrat and Cornelius.
Valencia scorers: Jones 20 (5-7 threes), Montiero and Costello 13 each, Badio 12, Ojeleye 10, Sestina 8, Pradilla 7, De la Rúa 6, Puerto 3, Brima 4.
Zoosman. One of two players on his team with a positive plus-minus rating (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
Despite the loss, the Reds can take heart from winning both halves after the break and limiting their opponent to 37 points in the second half - just four more than Valencia scored in the entire first quarter. Jared Harper was relatively quiet against his former team with 16 points but, like his teammates, showed strong defense - especially in the second half - proving he can be dominant on that end of the floor as well. Chris Johnson recorded a great double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, showing his typical toughness under the basket. Kadeem Carrington led the scoring with 17 points - one of only two players on the team to finish with a positive plus-minus rating, alongside Yuval Zoosman, who contributed 13 points and plenty of defensive activity. The league leaders will return to the court this coming Saturday night, hosting Hapoel Galil Elyon at Pais Arena.
Harper struggled against his former team (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
Game Summary:
Hapoel starting five: Jared Harper, Kadeem Carrington, Yuval Zoosman, Chris Johnson, Gabi Chachashvili
Valencia starting five: Chris Jones, Branco Badio, Semi Ojeleye, Matt Costello, Jaime Pradilla
The Spaniards started at a dizzying pace, racing to a 9-2 lead with three different players hitting three-pointers, but Hapoel stayed in the game thanks to five straight points from Harper — including a three-pointer of his own. The Reds showed decent offensive performance with some aggressive moves from Johnson, but on the other side the hosts just kept firing from beyond the arc - after less than six minutes the scoreboard showed 22-13. Jonathan Alon’s team answered with a 10-2 run capped by five points from Carrington in eight seconds, but Valencia responded with a three-pointer of their own - and a three from Jeremy Morgan ended the hectic first quarter with Valencia leading 33-26. The Spaniards, who were 8 for 11 on their first three-point attempts, calmed down a bit at the start of the second quarter but managed to keep their lead - with only Harper managing to score a field goal for Hapoel. Valencia went on another 10-0 run, including two threes and a quick layup, opening a 17-point gap. Even Alon’s timeout couldn’t stop the momentum, as the Spaniards showed their strength on defense too, keeping Hapoel scoreless for over five minutes - a basket by Tarik Phillip was even disallowed after a challenge due to basket interference. The hosts scored 20 unanswered points to reach a 57-30 lead. Johnson slowed the bleeding a bit with four points and an assist to Derek Ogbeide, minimizing damage before halftime - 59-38 for the hosts at the break.
Dovrat. Hapoel struggled against the Spaniards (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
Carrington came out firing in the third quarter with three consecutive three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 12. Pradilla stopped the run with his own three-pointer, but Hapoel remained the better team in those minutes - Harper hit a big three at the shot clock buzzer and added two free throws to make it 66-56. The Spaniards answered again with two threes to restore their 16-point lead, and even when Hapoel trimmed it by two more points, Jones hit a frustrating buzzer-beating three to close the third quarter at 79-62. The Spanish lead grew again to 83-62 early in the final quarter. Hapoel responded with great defensive minutes and some good plays by Chachashvili on offense, going on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to just ten points - but that was as close as they got, as Jones hit his fifth three-pointer on six attempts to seal the game at 96-83 for Valencia.
Hapoel scorers: Carrington 17 (5-10 threes), Harper 16 (6-8 free throws, 4 assists), Johnson 15 (6-8 two-pointers, 12 rebounds), Zoosman 13 (4-4 free throws), Morgan 8 (4 assists, 3 steals), Chachashvili 8 (5 rebounds), Ogbeide and Phillip 4 each. Also played: Dovrat and Cornelius.
Valencia scorers: Jones 20 (5-7 threes), Montiero and Costello 13 each, Badio 12, Ojeleye 10, Sestina 8, Pradilla 7, De la Rúa 6, Puerto 3, Brima 4.
Zoosman. One of two players on his team with a positive plus-minus rating (Photo: Miguel Angel Polo, Valencia Basket)
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