Hapoel Falls to Holon in the Final Seconds

Hapoel traveled to Holon on Saturday night for its second Israeli League game of the season and fell 78-77 to the hosts after a dramatic fourth quarter. The Purples chased Hapoel for most of the game and trailed by as many as 15 points, but completed the comeback by winning the final quarter 23-15 - taking the lead for the final time thanks to a huge clutch three-pointer from Jordan McRae with less than a second remaining.

Following the loss, Hapoel will travel to Belgrade for another EuroCup "home" game, this time against Slask Wroclaw.

Hapoel suffered its first loss in Israel after seven consecutive victories - and its second straight defeat in all competitions. Much like in its last two EuroCup games, the Reds once again surrendered a double-digit lead and struggled in the fourth quarter, with another dominant performance from Harper not enough in the end.

The star still had a chance to save Hapoel with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but his shot was blocked before it could reach the rim. If Yonatan Alon is looking for a positive, he can certainly find one in Roi Huber's excellent performance. Huber sparked Hapoel's first-half run and made each of his first five attempts from beyond the arc.

Hapoel Jerusalem scorers: Jared Harper 19, Roi Huber 15, Khadeen Carrington 12, Austin Wiley 11, Justin Smith 10, Anthony Lamb 6, Dmytro Skapintsev and Roi Pritzky 2 each. Nimrod Levi and Yovel Zoosman also played.

Holon scorers: Xavier Munford 19, Derrick Walton Jr. (10 assists) and Lior Carreira 10 each, Jordan McRae and Yair Kravits 9 each, Hassan Martin 8, Netanel Artzi 7, Ted Withers 4, Idan Zalmanson 2. Roi Rosenberg also played.

"Only Hapoel, Even When It Hurts" (Photos: Oded Karni)

Game Recap

Holon started with Walton Jr., Munford, McRae, Artzi and Martin, while Hapoel opened with Harper, Carrington, Zoosman, Levi and Wiley.

The game began at a slow pace and remained close, with Holon holding an 11-9 lead after six minutes. But three consecutive three-pointers from Roi Huber sparked a 12-0 Hapoel run, giving the Reds a 22-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Holon cut the deficit to just two early in the second quarter with an 11-4 run that included three three-pointers, two of them from Munford. Hapoel responded with another run of its own, this time 16-3, to open a game-high 15-point lead.

Huber knocked down his fourth three-pointer without a miss, but six unanswered points by the hosts to close the first half cut the gap back to single digits, with Hapoel leading 45-36 at halftime.

Huber. Four three-pointers without a miss before halftime (Photo: Oded Karni)

Wiley scored Hapoel's first seven points of the second half to restore a 14-point advantage. Munford cut the deficit back to single digits, but Huber remained red-hot from beyond the arc, knocking down his fifth three-pointer in five attempts before adding his third assist of the game to extend the lead to 13.

Munford reached 19 points while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from three, before assisting Carreira on a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter. Hapoel entered the final 10 minutes leading 62-55.

Wiley. Started the second half strong (Photo: Oded Karni)

Holon cut the deficit to five early in the fourth quarter. Harper and Smith immediately doubled the gap at the other end, but two Walton Jr. three-pointers sparked a 10-0 Holon run that tied the game with less than four minutes remaining.

Lamb restored Hapoel's lead with a three-pointer, before four points from Martin gave Holon its first advantage since the opening quarter. Carrington and Artzi traded baskets to maintain the status quo, but three Harper free throws put Hapoel ahead by two with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Holon had one final possession. McRae got the ball and buried a clutch three-pointer. At the other end, Harper tried to get off a three-point attempt but was blocked at the buzzer.

78-77 to Holon at the final buzzer.

Harper. His 19 points weren't enough for the Reds (Photo: Oded Karni)