Maccabi Tel Aviv slipped by Hapoel Holon 86-83 as the yellow-and-blue mounted a double digit fourth quarter comeback to take the razor thin win. The purples took control of the game from the get go as Iftach Ziv and DJ Cooper paced the visitors to a 42-36 halftime lead. Guy Kaplan’s team began the third quarter with an 11-0 run and headed into the final frame holding a 69-56 lead but Jimmy Clark began to score at will while Trevion Williams and Rokas Jokubatis found critical points down the stretch to chalk up the comeback victory.

Clark scored 18 points, Williams added 14 points and Jokubaitis put in 13 points in the win. Ziv scored 18 points, Justin Alston added 15 points and Cooper scored 13 points and dished out 13 assists in the loss.

“This is the third game in a row that we began poorly, lazy and with no energy,” Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Oded Katash began. “If this is the third time, it’s got to be my fault. Despite this we won for the third straight game as well. We were able to get the win thanks to pulling ourselves together and I had to make some changes as well. Perhaps next game I need to start off the game with guys who can give more energy.”

“We came into the game really well,” Holon Head Coach Guy Kaplan began. “We set a goal to stop their transition game and hold down their ability to run the floor. We were there for the most part but came up a bit short. We will continue on as we are still looking for our DNA as to what does it mean to be part of Hapoel Holon. We were there in this game, we controlled certain areas of the contest for the most part like rebounds but ended up falling short by one at the end of the game.”

The game MVP Jimmy Clark spoke about the victory, “We didn’t start off well and didn’t have a good flow with our system. Once the game started in we began to play defense, got our rebounds and were able to win the game. While we have had a tough time in Israel the past few games and we’ve won games in the Euroleague a bit easier, the two leagues have different playing styles and the teams in Israel are prepared to play us as most have time to prepare.”

Iftach Ziv looked back at the game that was, “We came into the game prepared and with good energy. We looked at them in the white if their eyes but we also made some mistakes in the last quarter. The game didn’t end on the last play and we should have gotten the foul call but that’s not why we lost the game.”

DJ Cooper was swishing and dishing early on, Mike Davis and Justin Alston made their shots from the inside and outside while Iftach Ziv scored as well for Hapoel Holon to take a 23-13 lead over Maccabi Tel Aviv after ten minutes of play. Roman Sorkin began to cut into the purples lead for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Ziv continued to have the hot hand at the other end, Rokas Jokubatis went from deep and Levi Randolph scored from inside and outside of the arc while Dakarai Tucker and Sorkin traded triples to end the half with Holon ahead 42-36.

Netanel Artzi and Ziv helped Guy Kaplan’s team to a 11-0 run to start the third quarter, Will Rayman, John Dibartolomeo and Jimmy Clark tried to cut down the lead, but Cooper drilled home a triple from way down town to bump the Holon lead up to 69-56 after thirty minutes of action. Trevion Williams began the fourth quarter with points, Ziv came back from deep, Jokubatis matched him while Clark dunked off a steal, nailed a 3-pointer and added a deuce to give Maccabi their first lead of the game, Jokubatis put in a 3-point play and scored his free throws to seal the win.