Hapoel Tel Aviv wins thriller in London over Lions

Jan 11, 2023 | Holyland Hoops

Hapoel Tel Aviv won a thriller over London Lions 95-93 as Jordan McRae spurred a double digit comeback while J’Covan Brown scored the winning basket to hand the Reds the dramatic victory in front of over 1,500 traveling fans from Israel. The Lions led by Sam Dekker and Tomislav Zubcic came out strong and scored at will over the course of opening half as McRae almost single-handedly tried to keep Danny Franco’s squad close but went into the break down 58-48. Ryan Schmidt’s team kept controlling the pace of play in the second half but McRae, Brown and Chinanu Onuaku put the pedal to the metal over the course of the fourth quarter to pull the game out in the waning moments and send the hapoel faithful into delirium in London.

McRae scored 36 points, Brown added 18 points and Onuaku scored 10 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the win. Dekker led the way for the hosts with 29 points, Zubcic chipped in with 19 points and Kostas Koufus scored 15 points in the stinging defeat.

Danny Franco – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman


“This one was tough and anybody could have won,” Franco said. “I’m happy of course that it went to us. My guys were stubborn. It was a frustrating game for us. We couldn’t find our rhythm – on both sides of the floor – for a lot of minutes. We just tried to stay in the game. With a lot of hustle – we grabbed 24 offensive rebounds – not because we are bigger or more athletic and we kept on fighting. We tried to dive and touch every ball, and that kept us alive. Eventually, that stubbornness and that determination to win came to our favor.”

Ryan Schmidt – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman


“It’s a tough loss,” Schmidt began. “I thought our guys played well, competed. At the end of the day, that’s a talented team. They’ve got guys who can put up big points. You saw that with Jordan McRae, who has been doing that everywhere he has gone. Every team you go up against is really talented, including these guys. At the end of the day, hats off to them. They’re a really good team, they’re well-coached. They made plays down the stretch when they needed to.”

Jordan McRae – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman


Jordan McRae also spoke about the victory, “It was a total team effort. We fought hard at the end of the game and we never gave up. All the guys on the floor and on the bench just played hard. All I want to do is win. If you ask the coach, the players about me, in practice, 3-on-3, 5-on-5, I’m always trying to win. That’s all I want to do.”

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