Maccabi Ramat Gan defeated AEK Athens 95-84 in Basketball Chjampions League action in what was a home game for the Israeli squad being played in the Czech Republic. Thanks to the victory, Ramat Gan improved its position ahead of the closing the group stages of the BCL as they have a 2-3 record and can still finish in second place ahead of AEK which would give them home court advantage in the Play In round. The final game of the Group E will take place next Tuesday December 17th when they visit 1-4 Riga and with a win will advance to the Play In round with at least a third place finish assured for Shmulik Brenner’s team.

Amin Stevens led the way early for Ramat Gan as the first half ended all knotted up at 44-44 but in the second half Kendale McCullum was red hot while Drew Crawford and scored as well to polish off the fourth quarter 28-15 to take the win.

Stevens was Ramat Gan’s leading scorer with 24 points and 7 rebounds, McCollum added statistical line of 23 points, 6 assists, 7 steals and 4 rebounds good for a 36 efficiency rating while Drew Crawford and Isaiah Miles also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.

“A very, very important victory for us,” Brenner said, “We received the news that a number of IDF soldiers were killed and among them was a Ramat Gan resident and a boy I have known since he was 13, Barak Halperin from Kiryat Ono. It was very important to us and we talked about it in the locker room before the game that we want to bring Barak’s fighting spirit to the court – I told the players about him and I believe and think that it was in their minds and hearts and that is the most important thing for us.”

The coach added, “Beyond that, this is a very important step for us, both in the Champions League and in how we are as a team as we continue to fight, remain tough and mentally strong even in the tough moments. We played against an excellent team with a lot of tools and experience like AEK who have players at a very high level. This is a very big and exciting victory for us and an important step forward.”

Adam Ariel the team captain who is celebrating his 30th birthday also spoke about the import win for the team, “This is a very, very important victory for us, also for the team spirit – we needed it. Everyone who took to the court was part of the team and contributed in one way or another. We were very, very committed and put ourselves in the ideal situation. Now we depend on ourselves and this will give us a boost to continue hard, especially for next week.”