Maccabi Ashdod pulled off the upset over Nes Ziona with a 76-62 victory on the home court by the port city as Dan Katzir’s dominated the fourth quarter 28-12 to notch the win. Robert Turner scored 23 points while Isaiah Hill and Ben Callahan-Gold scored 12 points each in the conquest while Paris Lee was the only player to reach double figures for the visitors with ten points in the loss.

“Winning is always fun. I believe every game in a competitive league is winnable,” Ashdod bench boss Dan Katzir said after the game. “Defensively, this was our best performance of the season in terms of tactics and effort. Offensively, we didn’t play the kind of game we want to continue playing, but at the end of the day, we had 16 assists and six turnovers and we can live with that. I’m happy that we showed character and we went on a 17-0 run to take control of the game, but things could have gone in a different direction.”

“Ashdod did a very good job and we didn’t play our best game,” Nes Ziona Head Coach Paul Corsaro said. “I don’t like losing, but it’s not so much the defeat itself as the fact that we didn’t play together as a team. I don’t think we did the things we work on every day, and that’s what disappoints me most.”

Maccabi Ramat Gan downed Bnei Herzliya 89-79 as Elad Hasin’s team controlled the contest from the outset and received outstanding contributions from Ahmad Caver and Lior Carreira in the win at HaYovel Arena. Caver scored 22 points, Carreira added 19 points and Jalen Adams put in 18 points in the victory while DJ Bruton led the way with 16 points, Amit Gershon scored 14 points and Zach Bryant added 13 points in the loss.

“We came into this game after a complicated preparation period,” winning coach Elad Hasin said. “Beyond the injuries, we also had personal issues involving some players. I can count on two or three fingers the number of practices we managed to have together. I told the players before the game that when you leave your heart on the court, everything else stays behind.”

“In every official game, the result is what matters and we lost,” Herzliya bench boss Yehu Orland began. Losing at home is particularly disappointing and we didn’t play well, we need to improve. It sounds like a cliché, but everyone talks about continuity while forgetting that Lucas Goldenberg has only been here for two days and Shoham Gat for a week.”

Hapoel Eilat defeated Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion 89-80 as the Red Sea squad’s dominant final frame that saw them outscore the wine city 28-16 to seal the road win at Beit Maccabi. Kendale McCullum led the way with 18 points, Bryant Crawford added 14 while Daniel Rosenbaum and Nuni Omot scored 13 points apiece in the victory as Qua scored 16 points, Josh Freund put in 12 points and Chauncey Jenkins contributed 11 points in the loss.

“We beat an excellent team with an excellent coach,” winning coach Oren Aharoni said. “We controlled the first half and played very well on both ends of the floor. We went through a difficult stretch in the third quarter because of foul trouble but in the fourth quarter, we made some big plays and the guys deserve a lot of credit. We showed character and made the big plays when it mattered to get through it.”

“The atmosphere from our fans was incredible, as it always is,” Rishon Head Coach Guy Kaplan said. “We started nervously and a big gap developed. We found a way to get into the game and build our confidence and we managed to turn things around. In the end, it came down to one possession here or there.”