Maccabi Tel Aviv began their 20/21 Euroleague campaign with a 80-73 win over Alba Berlin. The Yellow & Blue came into the contest looking to continue their fine form from last season before the coronavirus halted the continental competition back in March. That’s exactly what they did following a shaky first frame that saw the German squad race out to a 29-19 lead. But a 30-12 second quarter led by newcomer Chris Jones, Scottie Wilbekin and Angelo Caloiaro helped Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s team to the win.

Angelo Caloiaro led the way with 18 points, Chris Jones scored 12 points and added 7 assists, Othello Hunter scored 12 points, Elijah Bryant added 9 points while Scottie Wilbekin scored 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Marcus Eriksson scored 19 points, Simone Fottecchio added 16 points while Jayson Granger and Peyton Siva scored 10 points in the loss.

Alba’s Marcus Eriksson started the game off with a triple but Scottie Wilbekin and Angelo Caloiaro matched the marksmen with 3-pointers of their own but the Swede continued to score thanks to a trio of assists by Peyton Siva but the German squad held a 14-10 lead midway through the first quarter. Simone Fontecchio scored at will and Ben Lammers did damage on the inside for the visitors while Ante Zizic has Chris Jones scored their first points for the Yellow & Blue, however, Alba held a 29-19 advantage after ten minutes.

Wilbekin took control out of the gate in the second quarter as he scored from long distance, set up Othello Hunter for an alleyoop and scored yet again as Maccabi pulled to within one point 31-30 halfway through the frame. Jones hit a triple, Tyler Dorsey put in a layup, Sandy Cohen posterized Luke Sikma, Hunter went up for a Dunkaroo and Caloiaro put in an and-1 as Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s team finished off a 30-12 quarter to grab a 49-41 lead at halftime.

Jayson Granger opened the scoring in the second half with a pair of 3-pointers and a floater but four points from Oz Blayzer and a layup by Zizic in the paint kept Maccabi ahead 55-49 midway through the third quarter. Siva hit a runner in the key but Elijah Bryant scored his first points of the game at the other end of the floor as Hunter and Caloiaro also found the bottom of the basket to take a 67-58 advantage into the final frame.

Caloiaro scored pair of baskets and played facilitator for another Hunter dunk but Eriksson hit from deep as Maccabi stayed up 75-66 with 6:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bryant scored a 3-pointer but Fontecchio and Granger answered for Alba, however, Caloiaro wrapped up the victory with another basket as Maccabi won their Euroleague opener 80-73.