Maccabi Tel Aviv held off Valencia 91-88 on the road as six players scored in double figures to help the yellow-and-blue improve to 2-4 in EuroLeague play. Oded Katash’s squad seized control early behind Yam Madar, but Armoni Brooks and Nikola Mirotic kept the hosts within striking distance as Maccabi took a narrow 50-48 lead into halftime.

Jimmy Clark stepped up after the break, while Roman Sorkin, Oshae Brissett and Bonzie Colson delivered key baskets down the stretch. Gonzalo Corbalan and Brooks kept Xavier Albert’s side in contention, but Valencia’s late comeback fell short as Maccabi held on for a valuable road win.

Clark scored 17 points, Sorkin added 16 points and Brissett scored 14 points in the victory while Brooks and Corbalan each scored 14 points and Mirotic out in 12 points in the loss.

Maccabi head coach Oded Katash reflected on the victory, “This was very sweet, to be on this side of the coin. We showed a lot of character. This game was a challenge, but we had good body language and really wanted the win. We had some bad luck in Barcelona, but we can start to see that we’re building some consistency in our play. Some of our issues on inbound plays may have been due to a lack of experience. We haven’t had much time to work on that in practice until now, but we’ll make a point of addressing it going forward.”

Sorkin was equally pleased with the result, particularly after Maccabi’s recent disappointment, “It’s a lot of fun to win this game because the last loss was cruel, but we got it done here. I’m happy we were able to take this victory, and we also proved to ourselves that we can win on the road against a top team. We didn’t start the season well, but we’re improving.”

Maccabi came out firing, with Madar and Jaylen Hoard leading the offensive charge. Armani Brooks and Nate Reuvers answered for Valencia, but three-pointers from Iffe Lundberg, Clark, Sorkin and Colson helped the visitors build a 31-23 lead after the first quarter.

TJ Leaf and Colson opened the second-quarter scoring before TJ Shorts and Jasiel Rivero responded for Maccabi. Corbalan, Josep Puerto and Mirotic kept Valencia in the hunt, but Clark came up with timely baskets and Colson buried a corner three at the halftime buzzer to send Maccabi into the break ahead 50-48.

Shorts opened the second half with a pair of quick baskets, while Oshae Brissett scored from both inside and beyond the arc. Clark matched him at the offensive end and Mirotic connected from deep for Valencia. Sorkin added a three-point play and a dunk, but Puerto and Brooks helped the hosts finish the quarter strong and take a 72-71 lead into the final period.

Brissett opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer before Brooks and Kameron Taylor answered for Valencia. Sorkin threw down a dunk and followed it with a three, while Colson and Clark also connected from beyond the arc before adding tough baskets inside. Brooks kept Valencia alive with a late triple that cut Maccabi’s lead to 91-88 with 20 seconds remaining.

Maccabi struggled to get the ball inbounded as the clock ticked down, giving Valencia one last chance to force a dramatic finish. However, the hosts couldn’t convert, allowing the yellow-and-blue to escape with a hard-fought road victory.