Maccabi Tel Aviv fell in dramatic fashion 86-85 to Milano as their Euroleague record dropped to 3-8 on the season. The Yellow & Blue battled Milano throughout the 45 minutes but Kevin Punter and Malcolm Delaney hit some big shots to give the Italian squad the edge as they took the hard fought win.

Scottie Wilbekin and Elijah Bryant each scored 17 points and Othello Hunter added 14 points in the loss. Kevin Punter led Milano with 18 points, Malcolm Delaney chipped in with 16 points, Shavon Shields scored 14 points and Kyle Hines added 12 points in the win.

Ante Zizic – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv

Scottie Wilbekin got Maccabi Tel Aviv off and running with a triple, Angelo Caloiaro added points inside off a Scottie assist and Elijah Bryant went from deep as Malcolm Delaney and Vladimir Micov answered for Milano early on. Tyler Dorsey put in a Wilbekin rim rattler, Ante Zizic scored his first two points and Bryant scored from behind the arc, however, Milan came right back as Shavon Shields nailed a jumper, Kyle Hines put in a dunk and Sergio Rodriguez hit a dead center triple to cut the hosts lead to 20-18 after ten minutes.

Tyler Dorsey – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv

Dragan Bender joined the party with a layup and then added free throws, Kevin Punter drilled a corner three while John DiBartolomeo hit a triple off the glass and Oz Blayzer went from downtown off a beautiful passing play as Maccabi Tel Aviv stayed in front 31-28 midway through the second quarter. Othello Hunter put in a two handed slam but Punter and Shields put on a 3-pointer clinic while Hines scored again in the paint as Ettore Messina’s squad grabbed a 40-35 lead with 2:01 left in the first half. Delaney went through the Maccabi defense for a layup and then scored again to close out a 15-0 run and go into halftime with a 46-35 advantage.

Angelo Caloiaro – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv

Punter opened the third quarter with a jumper but Wilbekin matched him at the other end of the court, Zizic scored a mini-hook, Bryant went from long distance and Bender cleaned up a Zizic miss and Wilbekin put in points to cut the Milano lead to 49-46 with 6:35 remaining in the frame. Rodriguez and Shields each scored 3-pointers but Bryant with points from the outside and inside plus an off balance jumper by Wilbekin kept Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s side in the game down 59-53 after thirty minutes of play.

Chris Jones – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv

Dorsey and Hunter closed the gap while Chris Jones drained a triple to tie the game up at 61-61 midway through the fourth quarter. Delaney scored from downtown out of the timeout and Shields put in a Delaney miss but Wilbekin nailed a triple and then a floater in the lane to take a 68-66 lead with 1:02 to go. Wilbekin fed Hunter for points but Punter with a corner three and a foul shot sent the game into overtime 70-70.

Scottie Wilbekin – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv

DiBartolomeo and Wilbekin dropped free throws and Bryant scored in the paint but Brooks with five points gave Milano a 2-point 78-76 lead. DiBartolomeo and Delaney traded triples, Hunter put in a pair from the charity stripe and then tipped in a Wilbekin miss but Rodriguez went from deep to give Milano a 84-83 advantage with 31 seconds to go in the extra session. Wilbekin scored a pair of free throws but Delaney scored a jumper over Wilbekin to take the hard earned win 1-point win.”