Maccabi takes key win at Valencia with strong second half

Feb 3, 2023 | Holyland Hoops

Maccabi Tel Aviv came away with a razor thin 94-93 win over Valencia in a hard fought battle at La Fonteta. Captain John Dibartolomeo’s sharp shooting from long distance in the third quarter helped the Yellow & Blue overcome a halftime deficit as Wade Baldwin and Bonzie Colson also scored down the stretch to win their third road game of the season.

With the victory, Oded Katash’s team finished their 3-game trip away from home with a 1-2 record as they moved to 12-11 on the season with two home contests coming up against Red Star Belgrade and Bayern Munich.

The Yellow & Blue gave up points a plenty over the course of the first half as Alex Mumbru’s squad drilled home 9 triples with Klemen Prepelic, Jared Harper and Jonah Radebaugh all scoring to give the hosts a 55-45 lead at halftime. However, Maccabi came out of halftime a changed team as Baldwin and Colson found points along with Dibartolomeo who dropped four triples to score 34 points while their defensive energy rose to the occasion to take the 1-point win.

Wade Baldwin – Photo Credit: Elad Goldstein, Maccabi Tel Aviv


Baldwin led Maccabi with 19 points, Colson added 17 points and 12 boards while Dibartolomeo also scored 17 points going 5/6 from long distance in the win. Jared Harper paced the hosts with 20 points while Klemen Prepelic and Jaime Pradilla each scored 15 points in the loss.

“That was a big one for us,” a relieved Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Katash said following the victory. “We beat a great team – especially here where they have been playing excellently and we knew it wouldn’t be easy. The first half we were late on everything. We let them run. After 5 minutes we started the game but they played with a really high tempo. We were down 10 at halftime after giving up 55 points. We came out for the second half with the right attitude, with the right amount of effort. We made some tactical adjustments to slow them down, and I am really proud of the guys. That was a big one for us.”

Alex Mumbru – Photo Credit: Dov Halickman


“I think we played a good first half, we shared the ball properly and we played our basketball and had good options on offense,” Valencia bench boss Alex Mumbru began. “But in the second half, Maccabi played at a high level on defense and too many things happened in the first 4-5 minutes of the third quarter. We lost the advantage quickly. We had chances until the end and we had the shot to win the game. But in the end, these kinds of games are decided by small details: the free throw we didn’t make, the foul to give we had but didn’t use. And those small details helped Maccabi get the win.”

The game MVP Bonzie Colson also reflected on the game, “We needed to regroup at the half, especially how we came out. We came out pretty soft. We let them get easy buckets. The second half, we just wanted to put an emphasis on playing hard, hitting them first and being aggressive. We did that. It was a great team win.”

Bonzie Colson – Photo Credit: Euroleague


Maccabi Tel Aviv got quickly to work on the inside with baskets by Josh Nebo, Bonzie Colson, Jarell Martin and Jalen Adams but points from deep by Valencia’s Jared Harper and Victor Claver kept the hosts close 10-12 midway through the first quarter. Josep Puerto drained a triple and a deuce, Kyle Alexander put down a dunk, Iftach Ziv hit a jumper, Roman Sorkin scored inside but Jaime Pradilla scored a trio of buckets as Alex Mumbru’s team took a 28-24 lead after ten minutes of play.

Su Braimoh and John Dibartolomeo scored for Oded Katash’s squad while ex-Maccabi guard Chris Jones scored a pair of baskets, Klemen Prepelic added a 3-pointer, Nebo found the hoop and Colson took a circus pass from Wade Baldwin and put in points to keep the visitors close 37-33 with 6:30 left in the second quarter. Baldwin went from deep but Prepelic did one better at the other end with two while Jonah Radebaugh went for a 4-point play, Jasiel Rivero also scored, as Harper and Radenbaugh went from beyond the arc to give Valencia a 10-point 55-45 advantage at halftime.

Wade Baldwin – Photo Credit: Elad Goldstein, Maccabi Tel Aviv


John Dibartolomeo led off the third quarter with a triple, Jones came back with a layup and a midrange but Dibartolomeo went from deep yet again as Baldwin hit a jumper and then stole the ball for a dunk to give Maccabi a 61-59 lead midway through the period. Baldwin drilled home a 3-pointer from dead center, Martin put in points off a steal, John D went twice more from downtown, Prepelic got one back as Shannon Evans and Harper each put in a 3-point plays to keep the game tight as the Yellow & Blue stayed in front by just 1-point, 79-78 after thirty minutes of action.

Rafi Menco scored his first points of the game, Colson went from deep and Baldwin hit a pair of jumpers to give Maccabi a 87-82 lead with 5:36 remaining in regulation. Colson went off the glass as did Rivero, Jones went from deep and Harper went from way, way downtown, but Baldwin put in a layup and then fouled Harper who went 1/2 from the line with 10 seconds to go and Maccabi in front 94-93..

Wade Baldwin – Photo Credit: Elad Goldstein, Maccabi Tel Aviv


However, Baldwin turned over the ball with 3-seconds left giving Valencia a last gasp chance to win but Chris Jones 3-point attempt was off the mark and Maccabi took the victory.

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