Hapoel hosted Maccabi in the Tel Aviv Derby at the Drive In Arena in a spicy win or go home knockout game in the quarterfinal round of the Israel State Cup that ended in favor of the Yellow & Blue 96-85. Maccabi proved they were the better team throughout the matchup and even when Hapoel took a small lead, Maccabi pressed forward to secure the 96-85 win. Alex Tyus scored 20 points, Michael Roll added 19, as Pierre Jackson (16p) and Jake Cohen (15p) rounded out the high scorers for the Yellow & Blue. Adrian Banks starred for the Reds with 28 points in the loss.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Neven Spahija:

About the game:
“We did a good job to win the game and we had less turnovers which was a key to the win. We will be humble and get ready for Tuesday.”

Preparing for a knockout game compared to a league contest:
“There are some things that are different in the preparation. It’s more about preparing the players mentally and try to be focused. The players reacted pretty well. Some better than others.”

Jake Cohen:
“When good things happen here it’s even better than the opposite and we prepare for every game like it’s a knockout game.”

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s Derby:
“It will be interesting playing the same team again two days later.”

Hapoel Jerusalem kept their State Cup dreams alive as they beat Beer Sheva 79-62 in a win or go home game. Jerusalem led the contest from tip-off up until the final whistle as the Reds played well enough to pick up a convincing road win against the second division side. Jerome Dyson led the way for the visitors with 17p as Ronald Roberts dropped 16 in the win.

Maccabi Ashdod defeated Hapoel Eilat and earned a ticket to the semi finals. The game started off close but Ashdod broke away in the third quarter as Eilat scored only 6 points in the frame allowing the hosts to run away with the 89-56 win. Cameron Long (16p), Terrence Watson and Sek Henry scored 15 points for Ashdod while Jordan Loyd scored 14 for Eilat.

Hapoel Holon hosted Rishon to a very intense close game up until the dying moments as the lead went back and forth all 40 minutes. The home team made sure to play it right at the end and advanced to the semifinals with a 100-98 win. Glen Rice starred for the hosts with 33 points while Tu Holloway added 16 points in the win. Yaniv Solomon and Avi Ben Chimol each dropped 20 points for Rishon in the loss.