Maccabi Tel Aviv once again came up short once this time against Olympiacos as the yellow-and-blue fell 94-91 as Sasha Vezenkov was terrific all game long coming up with one big basket after the next while Evan Fournier and Luca Vildoza both scored timely buckets to take the victory.

Georgios Bartzokas’s squad jumped out to an early lead with Vezenkov and Vildoza doing the damage, but Jaylen Hoard and Levi Randolph along with Tamir Blatt and Rokas Joukbaitis turned a double-digit deficit into a 53-42 lead at halftime for Oded Katash’s team. However, Evan Fournier began to light it up beyond the arc while Nigel Williams-Goss and Nikola Milutinov also scored but it was Vezenkov who quelled any sort of late comeback by Jokubaitis and Blatt to come away with the victory.

Hoard scored 20 points, Randolph added 15 points and Sorkin scored 13 points in the loss. Vezenkov scored 21 points, Fournier put in 20 points and Milutinov chipped in with 11 points i the win.

“In the third quarter Olympiacos were very aggressive as they usually are and it was a horrible period for us with awful decisions,” Katash said. “We couldn’t stop them and then we tried to get back into the game with some adjustments. it was disappointing but we did some good things however, we were also confused. We have to keep out heads ups and hope that there will be better days ahead.”

“This was the second win for us on the road this season and it was very important,” Bartzokas began. “Everybody knows it’s a very strange situation playing here a tough Euroleague game with almost no fans especially a team like Maccabi who force yo to your limits if you want to beat them. They played for 40 minutes, they fight and play together with personality. Coach Katash makes it difficult to adjust and I appreciate this win. I am grateful to the players and fans that came here to support us.”

Levi Randolph spoke about the defeat, “It’s been the story of our season, a lot of close games for us coming down to the end and it’s something that will be a growing process for us. It can definitely help us in the last stretch of the season and when we catch our groove we will know how to handle these types of games.”

Jaylen Hoard reflected on the loss, “It was another close game, a tough one. I feel like we fought hard and I feel like we played really well. I felt we could have been tighter in the second half and I think we are right there.”

Luca Vildoza scored off a great pass from Moustapha Fall while Sasha Vezenkov did the same and then drained a 3-pointer while Evan Fournier also went from deep to get Olympiacos off and running, Tamir Blatt, Jaylen Hoard and Levi Randolph responded for Maccabi Tel Aviv but points from Fall gave the visitors a 16-9 lead midway through the period. Blatt and David DeJulius both sent from deep, Nikola Milutinov answered inside, Kostas Papanikolau went from downtown and Milutinov dunked, Will Rayman, DeJulius and Saben Lee scored in quick succession to cut the lead down to 29-24 after ten minutes of end to end action.

Papanikolau and Moses Wright began the second quarter with points, but Wenyen Gabriel, Jaylen Hoard and Rokas Jokubaitis all scored tout the lead to 2-points, but baskets by Wright and Tyler Dorsey kept Georgios Bartzokas’s squad in front 38-31 with 5:32 left in the half. Jokubaitis had the hot hand for Oded Katash’s team, Hoard added points in bundles while Randolph also scored and Roman Sorkin went from beyond the arc and Lee put down a nasty dunk to give Maccabi a 53-42 advantage at halftime.

Thomas Walkup scored to start off the third quarter, Sorkin scored points a plenty, Vildoza went from downtown, Hoard put in a deuce, Fournier put in a 3-point play and Vildoza once again drained one from deep to close the gap to 59-55 midway through the frame. Fournier went from the inside and outside, Vezenkov and Hoard traded baskets, but more points from Vezenkov and Nigel Williams-Goss gave put Olympiacos back in front 70-63.

Williams-Goss and Vildoza led off the fourth quarter with points, Hoard added Randolph gave Maccabi life with baskets, Milutinov and Fournier scored while Sorkin went from deep and Hoard dunked as Maccabi pulled to within 78-76 with five minutes remaining in regulation time. Williams-Goss put in a 3-point play, Rayman and Fournier traded triples, Jokubaitis scored off a break, Williams-Goss went from downtown, Blatt and Milutinov scored at either while the former hit one from deep once again but Vezenkov hit his free throws and Lee who came off the bench missed from beyond the arc as Olympiacos survived to take the win.