Hapoel Jerusalem made into the Round of 32 in EuroCup Basketball action winning at Volgograd 95-74. The victory coupled with Nizhny Novgorod’s win against Galatasaray 81-75 eliminated Athens from contention even though the Greek side won at home against Neptunas 75-71.

Playing in an almost deserted arena in Russia, Jerusalem pulled away from Volgograd in the final frame to do their part in assuring a chance to continue playing in European competition. Hapoel featured five players in double figures with D’or Fischer leading the way with 18 points on 7/12 shooting while Lior Eliyahu dropped 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds in the win. Josh Duncan’s 15 points and Tony Gaffney’s 10 in 10 minutes proved crucial in helping the Reds on their way to victory. Fischer scored 13 points in the first quarter helping Jerusalem to a quick lead and the team’s 14 unanswered points to end the game gave the visitors a comfortable win.

Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion opened the second round of their FIBA Europe Cup campaign with a tight 3-point loss at Novo Mesto 79-76. Mark Lyons put down 22 points while Shawn Dawson and Darryl Monroe scored 17 points a piece in the losing effort.