Hapoel Improves to 2-0 in the EuroCup!

Hapoel remained undefeated after the second round of EuroCup action. Just two days after falling to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Winner Cup semifinals, Sasa Obradovic's side bounced back with a 75-64 road victory over Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, improving to 2-0 in Group A. The Reds will look to maintain their European momentum next Wednesday when they travel to face Burgos.

Hapoel scorers: Dusan Miletic 14, David Roddy 12, Kenny Lofton Jr. 11, Shake Milton 10, Jaleen Smith 9, Yovel Zoosman 7, Devontae Cacok 6, Lorenzo Brown 4, Ethan Burg 2.

It wasn't Hapoel's smoothest offensive performance, as the Reds failed to score more than 20 points in any of the four quarters and finished the game with 20 turnovers. Nevertheless, even without being at their best, Hapoel maintained almost complete control throughout the contest. In fact, after regaining the lead a minute and a half into the second quarter, the Reds never trailed again and led by as many as 17 points.

Alongside the turnovers, Obradovic and his players will certainly look to improve their free-throw shooting after converting just 22 of 35 attempts (62.9%). Dusan Miletic led the way for Hapoel, finishing with a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds, as four Reds scored in double figures.

Lofton Jr. Hapoel improved to 2-0 in the EuroCup

Game Recap

Obradovic started with Burg, Smith, Roddy, Lofton Jr. and Miletic. Hapoel got off to a strong start, taking a 7-2 lead after approximately two minutes, with Miletic scoring five points. However, the Reds struggled offensively over the next eight minutes, adding just 11 points to their total. That was enough to finish the opening quarter tied at 18-18.

Hapoel's offense continued to struggle in the second quarter, but the Reds stepped up their defensive intensity, holding their opponents to just nine points in the period. At the other end, Lofton Jr. and Roddy led Hapoel to a double-digit advantage heading into the break. Hapoel led 37-27 at halftime.

Hapoel carried its momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 15 points at 47-32. The hosts refused to give up and managed to cut the deficit to just six points. However, a basket from Smith at the other end gave the Reds a 55-47 lead heading into the final ten minutes.

Hapoel once again opened up a 12-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, led by Miletic and Roddy. But Cedevita refused to wave the white flag, cutting the deficit in half with six and a half minutes remaining.

From that point on, Obradovic's men took complete control, going on an 11-0 run that extended the lead to a game-high 17 points and effectively sealed the victory.

Hapoel secured a 75-64 win at the final buzzer.