Hapoel lost to Cluj

After three consecutive victories in the competition, Hapoel was stopped tonight, losing 81:73 to the Romanian Cluj Napoca in a game held in Samokov, Bulgaria, as part of the EuroCup. Jonathan Alon’s team opened the game with a quick 2:6 lead, but then lost the lead, which they managed to regain for only 40 more seconds later in the game. Even a comeback to a 67:67 tie in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough for the Reds against the Romanian team, who went on a 0:13 run that sealed the game. Jared Harper continued to be the reliable player for the Reds, finishing with 19 points. Speedy Smith recorded six assists without turnovers but finished with eight points on 3/10 shooting. Kadin Carrington, who reunited with the team after a period spent in the United States with his family, was one of three players in double digits with 11 points, but seemed a bit rusty, shooting only 4/15 from the field. The entire team struggled offensively, shooting only 37% from the field, and missed 11 valuable points from the free-throw line with a 19/30 shooting record. Although the hosts compensated somewhat for the many missed shots with 15 offensive rebounds, they only had 19 defensive rebounds, compared to 14 offensive rebounds for their opponents.

The leading scorer for the winners was Carl Guzman, who finished with 20 points and four three-pointers. On Saturday night, the Reds will return to their home arena in Jerusalem, where they will host Hapoel Holon in the fourth round of the league.


Hankins and Mejeris with Hapoel players

Game Breakdown:  
Starting Lineup: Speedy Smith, Jared Harper, Yovel Zoosman, Chris Johnson, Austin Wiley.  
Cluj’s Starting Lineup: Carl Guzman, Kevin Harvey, Xavier Simpson, Denis Sili, Zack Hankins.

Hapoel opened well with a three-pointer from Smith, leading 2:6, but Guzman and Harvey led the visitors to a 12-point combined contribution, while Hankins also got on the scoreboard. The game developed at a good pace with points on both sides, but two three-pointers from the Romanians towards the end of the quarter gave Cluj a six-point lead before Gabi Chachashvili narrowed it down to 22:26 for Cluj. In the second quarter, Hapoel initially tied the game and briefly took the lead with a basket from Zoosman. However, the offensive rhythm slowed down, especially for the hosts, as both teams committed many fouls. Mokoka and Harvey scored five consecutive points to give the visitors the lead, extending it to a double-digit advantage, while Harper only managed to close the gap a little with a three-pointer. A three-pointer by Mokoka sent the Jerusalem team into halftime down by eight points, 36:44.


Harper Shooting for 3

In the third quarter, Hapoel woke up, with Smith and Morgan leading the attack and narrowing the gap, but Harvey managed to keep the Romanians ahead by a small margin. Smith reached double figures, and Carrington added an important basket before a big three-pointer from Harper closed the gap to just two points, bringing hope to the Jerusalem camp as the quarter ended 60:63. In the fourth quarter, Wiley tied the game at 67:67, but from that point on, Hapoel lost their offensive sharpness, struggled to find good shooting opportunities, and the visitors took advantage with a dramatic 0:13 run, including three three-pointers, which sealed the game. The hosts only managed to narrow the gap slightly towards the end with points from Harper, while points from Simpson sealed the final score: Cluj Napoca 81:73.


Hapoel Scorers: Harper 19, Carrington 11, Justin Smith 10, Speedy Smith 8, Morgan 7, Wiley and Zoosman 5 each, Johnson 4, Cornelius and Chachashvili 2 each.

Cluj Scorers: Guzman 20, Harvey 17, Simpson 15, Mokoka 14, Sali 5, Hankins and Stevens 4 each, Mejeris 2.