Hapoel Dominates Aris Thessaloniki

Following a loss in its previous Israeli League game, Hapoel returned to EuroCup action and cruised to a dominant 103-76 victory over Aris Thessaloniki in a "home" game in Belgrade on Tuesday, improving to 3-2 in the competition.

It was the Reds' second consecutive EuroCup victory, and an even bigger test awaits in the next round, when they face Group A leader Bahcesehir.

Hapoel scorers: Jared Harper (13-of-14 from the free-throw line), Justin Smith and Khadeen Carrington 18 each, Anthony Lamb 15, Yovel Zoosman 14, Cassius Winston 13, Austin Wiley 4, Josiah-Jordan James 2, Roi Huber 1.

The Reds arrived in the Serbian capital following a very disappointing night in domestic competition. It was Hapoel's second consecutive Israeli League loss, and the team took out all of its frustration on the Greek side.

Hapoel committed just 10 turnovers, knocked down 10 three-pointers at 50%, held Aris to only 28 points in the second half - including just eight in the fourth quarter - and cruised to victory, surpassing the 100-point mark for the second time this EuroCup season.

Smith. Scored 12 of his points in the first quarter

Harper. Also dished out nine assists

Game Recap

Hapoel started with Harper, Carrington, Lamb, Zoosman and Wiley, but its standout player in the opening quarter came off the bench - Justin Smith. The athletic forward scored 12 points and helped the Reds take a 23-21 lead after 10 minutes.

Hapoel opened the second quarter in excellent fashion, scoring nine unanswered points to build a double-digit advantage. But that was when things began to go wrong for the Reds, as Aris erased the entire deficit and took the lead on an Arnolds Kulboka basket with 23 seconds remaining in the first half.

Right at the buzzer, Zoosman answered with a three-pointer at the other end, allowing Hapoel to head into halftime with a 50-48 lead. The first half also produced an unusual statistic, with the teams combining for no fewer than 41 free-throw attempts - 22 for Hapoel and 19 for Aris.

Hapoel opened the third quarter with another run, scoring eight unanswered points behind two Carrington three-pointers to restore its double-digit advantage. This time, unlike in the second quarter, the Reds didn't allow their opponents back into the game.

The lead grew to as many as 18 points, largely thanks to six Hapoel three-pointers in the quarter - four more than the Reds had made in the entire first half. Hapoel entered the final 10 minutes leading 81-68.

In the fourth quarter, the Reds' defense also found another gear, holding Aris Thessaloniki to just eight points over the entire period. That allowed Harper, Carrington and the rest of the team to cruise to an impressive victory.

103-76 to Hapoel at the final buzzer, improving the Reds to 3-2 in the EuroCup.