Hapoel Cruises Past Ramat Gan in the Winner Cup

Hapoel improved to 2-0 in Group A of the Winner Cup on Sunday evening with a 97-65 victory over Maccabi Ramat Gan at Pais Arena, securing at least a place in the tournament's Play-In stage. Following Rishon LeZion's victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the other group game, the Reds have yet to officially secure their place in the quarterfinals - as three teams can still finish with a 2-1 record, in which case point differential will determine the final standings.

After a relatively quiet opening game in which Hapoel scored just 73 points, Yonatan Alon's team looked much sharper in its second outing. Perhaps Jared Harper's return had something to do with it. The 2024/25 league MVP dished out nine assists in his first official appearance of the new season.

Justin Smith was the main beneficiary of those passes, finishing with 27 points. Harper, usually known for his scoring, attempted just five shots this time around - but neither he nor Hapoel needed any more. The game was firmly in the Reds' control from an early stage.

Hapoel scorers: Justin Smith 27, Roi Huber 11, Anthony Lamb 10, Jared Harper (9 assists) and Dmytro Skapintsev 8 each, Nimrod Levi and Josiah-Jordan James 7 each, Rani Belaga 6, Yovel Zoosman and Yarin Hasson 5 each, Roi Pritzky 3.

Maccabi Ramat Gan scorers: Ronaldo Segu 20, Adam Ariel 15, Sma'j Thill 14, Drew Crawford 8, Jordan Nkololo (13 rebounds) 7, Amit Alon 1. Yonatan Atias and Or Shiller also played.

Group A standings:

1. Hapoel 2-0 (+36)

2. Rishon LeZion 1-1 (+13)

3. Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1-1 (+19)

4. Maccabi Ramat Gan 0-2 (-68)
   
   
   Alon and Brenner. The former is close to the next stage, while the latter will most likely miss out (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Mekel, Adelson and Shamir. Plenty to be pleased about with what they saw (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Hapoel opened with Harper and Zoosman in the starting five after both were left out of the squad for the previous game, alongside James, Lamb and Smith. Brenner started with Segu, Alon, Ariel, Crawford and Nkololo.

The visitors took a 7-5 lead on an Ariel three-pointer three and a half minutes into the game - and, believe it or not, that was their final field goal of the first quarter. Hapoel took advantage with a 15-4 run and held a 20-11 lead after ten minutes.

Zoosman. Returned from his absence straight into the starting five (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Ramat Gan's drought continued into the second quarter. A Crawford three-pointer with 5:38 remaining before halftime finally ended a stretch of 16 consecutive missed shots and more than ten minutes without a field goal. The visitors finished the entire first half with just six field goals and eight turnovers, while Hapoel was led by Smith's 14 first-half points and took a commanding 47-24 lead into the break.

Smith. 14 points before halftime (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Ramat Gan fought back after the break. After scoring just 24 points in the entire first half, the visitors added 27 in the third quarter alone, including 16 from Segu. However, Huber closed the quarter with a half-court three at the buzzer, keeping Hapoel firmly in control at 68-51 heading into the final ten minutes.

The fourth quarter once again belonged entirely to the Reds, while the visitors returned to the form that had characterized their first half. Hapoel cruised to a comfortable 97-65 victory.

Huber. 11 points against his former team, including a half-court buzzer-beater (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Smith. An impressive 27-point performance (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Harper. Nine assists in his first appearance of the new season (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Lamb. One of three Hapoel players to score in double figures (Photo: Bernie Ardov)