Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Valencia 94-92 in the decisive game three of their EuroCup semifinal series as Marcus Foster’s jumper with just seconds left in the game sent the Reds to the Finals. Antonio Blakeney proved to be unstoppable down the stretch with five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter while Foster scored 10 points including the game winning deuce to send Dimitrios Itoudis’s team to a best-of-3 series against Gran Canaria for a place in next season’s Euroleague.

The clash began with runs by both teams as Valencia came out on fire with Brancou Badio and Jamie Pradilla scoring for the hosts while Jonathan Motley, Marcus Foster and Antonio Blakeney countering for the visitors but Valencia took a 22-15 lead after the opening quarter. Jean Montero started to make an impact but so did Tomer Ginat while Blakeney continued to score at will to pull the reds to within 45-44 at halftime.

Jamie Pradilla, Matthew Costello and Badio kept Valencia in front but Yam Madar and Blakeney once again were able to keep their team close and send the game into the final frame down by 4-points, 67-63. Madar, Blakeney and Foster continued to score while Badio and Montero countered to keep the game neck-and-neck but with the game all knotted up at 92-92, Foster hit the game winner to send Hapoel to the finals of the continental competition.

Up next will be Gran Canaria in the finals with Hapoel Tel Aviv holding home court advantage as game one will take place on Tuesday night in Samokov, Bulgaria instead of Israel due to the ongoing security situation while game two will be on Friday night in Spain. Should a third game be necessary that would take place back in Bulgaria during the week of Chol Hamoed Passover. The two teams faced each other twice during the EuroCup regular season with Hapoel winning both meetings, 79-66 in Bulgaria and 87-64 in Gran Canaria.

Blakeney scored 32 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, Foster added 22 points and Ginat put in 11 points in the win. Badio scored 20 points, Montero chipped in with 17 points and Nathan Reuvers scored 10 points in the loss.

“We were composed when Valencia went up by double digits,” Hapoel Tel Aviv Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis said. “But we trusted the process and we came back. We made certain adjustments and made about 80% of our shots from two, we had to change the game. It’s not easy to do that, to make those changes with a big crowd supporting the other team and I salute the players for doing just that.”

The game MVP Antonio Blakeney reflected on the win, “It was a great win and we really played well. The guys believed in me, it was a great win and a tough series, we had injuries and we had to come back to win this series. As for the finals, Gran Canaria is a great team as all Spanish teams are and it will be a tough matchup for us so we have to get ready.”

Yam Madar also spoke about the victory, “This was just incredible and this is why I came back to play for Hapoel Tel Aviv. I came into this game on one leg due to the knee injury that I was playing with and I wasn’t sure how I would feel but I had a ton of treatment done beforehand to prepare me for the game. Both Blakeney and Foster were great and made such huge baskets for us. It was spectacular to see how they played.”

Tomer Ginat shared his thoughts, “Valencia is a great team and when we tried to pull away they just kept coming back. But when you want to get to the finals you will do everything in your power to win the game.”

Jaime Pradilla dunked, Matt Costello drained a corner 3-ball and Brancou Badio scored a pair of baskets to get Valencia off and running to open the game, Jonathan Motley came back with a pair of buckets and Ish Wainright scored for Hapoel Tel Aviv but the hosts took a slim 9-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Antonio Blakeney drilled a triple from the corner and hit a deuce from midrange for a 11-0 run for the Reds, Josep Puerto came back with a 3-point play, Costello went from deep, Pradilla and Marcus Foster traded baskets and Sergio De Larrea dialed up long distance to give Valencia a 22-15 lead after ten minutes of play.

Semi Ojeleye hit a 3-pointer and Jean Montero scored to get the second quarter underway, Foster and Pradilla scored for their respective sides, Blakeney dropped a pair of buckets but Badio nailed a triple to keep Valencia in front 36-25 with 5:42 left in the first half. Foster and Tomer Ginat scored, Nate Sestina drilled home a 3-pointer, Motley and Olejeye put in points, Noam Yaacov cut through the paint for a gorgeous layup as Blakeney and Wainwright scored at the end of the half to drop the Valencia lead to just a single point, 45-44.

Pradilla began the third quarter with points in the paint, Ginat scored off the glass, Montero went from deep, Ginat matched him from the corner, Badio hit a jumper from the top the key, Yam Madar drilled home a line drive jumper but Reuvers scored inside to keep Pedro Martinez’s team up 55-52 midway through the period. Badio and Costello put in points, Madar drained a triple, Badio kept scoring at will, Jovic added points but Blakeney kept Dimitrios Itoudis’s team in the game but down 67-63 after thirty minutes of action.

Madar opened the fourth quarter from downtown, Foster scored from the inside and outside and Blakeney went for a pair from deep as the Reds grabbed a 77-68 lead with 5:19 remaining in regulation time. Montero came out of the timeout with a 3-pointer, Bruno Caboclo and Blakeney each hit a triple at the other end, Badio dropped a jumper in the lane, Foster and Blakeney each drained another one from beyond the arc, Badio and Blakeney traded points from deep, Montero drained his free throws to tie the game up at 92-92 with 10 seconds to go but Foster hit a jumper to send Hapoel Tel Aviv to the finals.