Hapoel Jerusalem downed Limoges 81-75 with a thrilling fourth quarter comeback at the PAIS Arena. With the victory, the Reds are now 1-1 in Champions League action as all four teams in the group feature identical identical 1-1 records after two games.

The French club jumped all over Jerusalem out of the gate and took a commanding 28-15 lead after ten minutes, but Oded Katash squad cut the advantage by halftime and then rode a huge fourth quarter to snatch the 6-point win.

Tashawn Thomas led Jerusalem with 24 points, Chris Kramer added 15 points, Tarik Philip chipped in with 14 points while Adam Ariel scored 11 and Tamir Blatt dished out 11 assists in the win. Philip Scrubb was the Limoges high scorer with 26 points as Jerry Boutsiele notched a 12 point, 12 rebound double-double.

3-Pointers
1) Jerusalem showed an absolute boatload of character in this game. After a brutal first frame the Reds could have been written off by both the fans and by themselves, but they pulled it together and mounted a massive comeback with an absolutely brilliant fourth quarter by scoring 23 points and holding Limoges to just 11. However, how many times can Hapoel do that? The Reds need to come out like a house on fire and not wait until they are in a hole to react. “This was a character win,” explained Oded Katash. “We didn’t begin aggressively enough and we didn’t play as if each possession was crucial. It’s only when we are down that we bring the energy that’s needed. We need to start each game much more aggressively.” Tashawn Thomas also spoke about the first frame, “We were a bit in shock but I tried to get the team going by playing tough defense.”

2) On the topic of defense, Jerusalem held Limoges to just 3 points over the majority of the final frame which ended up helping the hosts to the victory. It’s always about the defense and we have seen this game in and game out whether it’s in Israel or around the world. Playing good defense is always a recipe for good offense as well, “The first quarter we are soft defensively and we didn’t set the tone,” said Chris Kramer who scored all of his 15 points in the second half. “We gave up way too many points. But we showed our heart and character to get the win. The fourth quarter was about will and pride. We made the plays and we took some punches and made shots.” Katash also singled out substitute Adi Cohen Saban for igniting the club’s defensive play, “The minute we began to push pressure on them with Cohen-Saban being the difference maker, everyone followed in his stead.” Thomas also commented on the defensive prowess, “The energy in my mind was what helped give us the big run in the last quarter and we played tight defense over the last ten minutes.”

3) Adam Ariel was magnificent with 11 points including three 3-pointers as well as a +14 to lead the team in 24 minutes of play. Up until now, Ariel hadn’t made a huge impact on the team but when they needed it most, he was there said Kramer, “For him it starts with confidence and he knows that he is a great shooter. We have to get hi those opportunities to be able to knock down those shots. We got him some open looks and he hit some big shots and tough shots. But when someone is a plus 14 that means he was also good on defense and that’s what we needed.” Ariel himself reflected on the win, “We knew that this was an especially important game with the new group stages that the Champions League instituted. I’m happy that the balls went in, we defended well and we came away with the win.”

Overtime
Once again, Tashawn Thomas and Tamir Blatt put on a show. Whether it was the great passes, the alleyoops or just plain old leading the offense the two will be crucial with the absence of J’Covan Brown and Malcolm Hill. “I didn’t know that I had taken so many shots (12/16), but I am always ready to score for the team.” Katash also spoke about the dynamic duo, “We know from previous seasons what the two can do and due to the injuries we will need to see the pair provide the offense for us for long stretches of the game.”