For close to three quarters it looked like Maccabi Tel Aviv was going to waste a tremendous performance from Jarell Martin, but the Yellow & Blue put the clamps on over the final 15 minutes to shut down Alba Berlin and take a 83-70 win in Euroleague action.

Oded Katash’s team gave up points galore over the course of the first half that ended in favor of the hosts 47-40 with Israelis Tamir Blatt and Yovel Zoosman leading the way for the hosts. However, the second half was all Maccabi led by Jarrell Martin and Jalen Adams as they went on a late 18-0 run while holding Israel Gonzalez’s squad to just 23 points to take the victory and move to 8-7 on the season.

Next up for Maccabi is a trip up north to the Galilee and a date on Sunday night with Hapoel Galil Elyon and then a classic home Euroleague tilt against Anadolu Efes on Thursday.

Jarell Martin led the way with 21 points, Jalen Adams added 17 pointed and Lorenzo Brown scored 15 points and dished out 7 assists. Maodo Lo paced Alaba with 16 points and Johannes Theimann added 12 points in the loss.

“Our energy, focus, concentration and communication, it was two different halves for us,” Maccabi coach Oded Katash said. “We showed a lot of heart, we were aggressive and active and I am proud as to how the placers adapted in the second half.”

“We did not arrive with the right energy in the final quarter,” Alba bench boss Israel Gonzalez commented. “They played better than us at the end. We have to keep pushing, and we will improve.”

The game MVP Jarell Martin looked back on the win, “It was big for us. We picked up the defensive intensity, crashed the boards, got the rebounds and everything started changing for us. As for winning 2 of 3 on teh road, that’s a big momentum change for us on the road to pick up some wins, it was hard for us at first, hopefully we can carry the momentum over.”

Luke Sikma and Maodo Lo went from deep to get Alba Berlin off to a good start while Jalen Adams scored a pair of layups and assisted on another to Lorenzo Brown for Maccabi Tel Aviv but the hosts took a 10-8 midway through the first quarter. Yovel Zoosman checked in with points on the outside and the inside, Adams and Jarell Martin went from deep as did Darrun Hilliard but Israel Gonzalez’s squad stayed in front 21 -19 after ten minutes of play.

Tamir Blatt and Hilliard traded triples to begin the second quarter, Christ Koumadje put in a couple of dunks, Martin powered in for a 3-point play, Sikma did the same as Blatt scored a long deuce to keep Alba ahead 34-32 with five minutes left in the first half. Brown hit a pair of jumpers, Louis Olinde nailed a 3-pointer, Josh Nebo jammed at the other end but Lo went from deep and Johannes Thiemann added a deuce to send Alba on a 10-2 run to end the period and bump up the advantage to 47-40 at halftime.

Thiemann began the third quarter with points off the glass, Zoosman stole the ball and drove to the bucket for a pair, Hilliard, Adams and Martin all came back from downtown but so did Lo while Thiemann scored a quick 5-points for an 8-2 run to rocket the lead back up to 60-51 midway through the period. Martin once again went from beyond the arc, Thiemann put back an offensive board but Jake Cohen put in a 3-point play and Adams scored a circus act layup to cut the lead to 63-61 after thirty minutes of action.

Martin started off the fourth quarter with a bucket, Yanni Wetzell dunked but Bonzie Colson put in a bucket and added a free throw to give Oded Katash’s team a 66-65 lead with 5:31 remaining in regulation time. Brown drilled home a triple, Adams followed it up with one of his own from deep, Brown with a lay-up, Martin nailed a 3-pointer for an 18-0 run to polish off the double dight victory.