Zenit downs Maccabi 78-72 in tactical duel in Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Zenit St. Petersburg 78-72 as the Xavi Pascual’s squad controlled the second half to score their first win in Euroleague play at Yad Eliyahu. The Yellow & Blue came out flat in the third quarter as Zenit Tibetan the period with a 7-0 run which set the tone for the second half. Maccabi were forced into playing the Russian’s style of game with long possessions and many one on ones which Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad weren’t able to break down as they took the victory. With the defeat, Maccabi’s record dropped to 7-10 with a trip to Berlin on tap for next Thursday.

Scottie Wilbekin – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv


Scottie Wilbekin led Maccabi in scoring with 18 points, Tyler Dorsey added 13 points and Elijah Bryant chipped in with 10 points in the loss. Alex Poythress was the Zenit high scorer with 16 points, Mateusz Ponitka put in 14 points and Kevin Pangos dropped 11 points in the win.

Scottie Wilbekin – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv


Maccabi used the left corner early as both Scottie Wilbekin and Yovel Zoosman drilled home 3 balls while Ante Zizic scored inside, but Will Thomas and Kevin Pangos went from downtown and Arturas Gudaitis found points on the paint as the Yellow & Blue held a 14-9 lead midway through the first quarter. Pangos scored a triple and then blew by his defender for an uncontested layup, Zizic who replaced Othello Hunter who got hit in the eye dunked the ball but Alex Poythress put down a mega alley-oop as Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s squad took a 22-18 lead after ten minutes.

Photo Credit: Zenit


Zizic cleaned up a Tyler Dorsey miss, Poythress scored at will, Dorsey swished a 3-pointer as KC Rivers answered with a deuce but Maccabi clung onto the 27-26 lead with 5:44 left in the second quarter. Dorsey and Andrey Zunkov traded buckets, John DiBartolomeo got on the stat sheet but Mateusz Ponitka put in points as well for Xavi Pascual’s snatched a two point at halftime, 37-35.

Elijah Bryant – Photo Credit: Maccabi Tel Aviv


Gudaitis got the third quarter underway with a pair of baskets in the paint and Austin Hollins went from long distance to bump up the Zenit lead to 44-35 forcing Maccabi to call timeout. Wilbekin hit a triple out of the break but Ponitka and Thomas added more misery onto the hosts while Elijah Bryant was called for a pair of offensive fouls having sandwiched a dunk in between. Bryant provided a 3-point play but Billy Baron burnt Wilbekin from beyond the arc and Poythress slammed the ball home as Zenit took a ten point advantage, 62-52 into the final frame.

Photo Credit: Zenit


Dorsey went from downtown, Wilbekin put in a layup but Poythress once again provided an air show and Zubkov scored off an offensive board to keep Zenit in front 68-62 with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rivers hit a corner triple as did DiBartolomeo at the other end, Wilbekin put in a floater and Chris Jones chalked up a 3-point play to pull Maccabi to three points, 75-72 with under a minute in regulation. However, Zenit scored their free throws to close out the hard ended first ever Euroleague win at Yad Eliyahu 78-72.

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