Darussafaka rallies from 19 down to beat Maccabi

Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul erased a 19-point deficit to defeat Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 86-84 on Friday at Volkswagen Arena. Scottie Wilbekin poured in a career-high 23 points and Will Clyburn had 20 points and 12 rebounds for his first EuroLeague double-double as Darussafaka won its third straight game to improve to 8-6. Brad Wanamaker added 15 points and Luke Harangody and James Anderson scored 11 points apiece for the winners. The visitors, who blew an 18-point lead at home to CSKA Moscow two days earlier, led 29-48 in the second quarter and by 17 at halftime, but Darussafaka made up most of the deficit in the third quarter. The fourth would feature three ties and five lead changes before Darussafaka came alive down the stretch to claim the victory. Andrew Goudelock paced Maccabi with 23 points plus 8 rebounds, Victor Rudd scored 17, Devin Smith posted 12 points and 11 rebounds and Colten Iverson added 11 points in defeat. The loss was the fifth in a row for Maccabi, which well to 5-9.

The hosts used a pair of triples in breaking out to a 9-4 start. However the Maccabi defense came alive to keep Darussafaka scoreless for the final five minutes of the quarter, during which the visitors got 7 points from Rudd in a 0-14 run to lead 13-22 after 10 minutes. A Goudelock floater made it a double-digit difference as Maccabi continued to shine; Rudd’s three-point play made it a 0-22 march and a 13-30 score. Wilbekin and Clyburn scored as the hosts came back to life. However a Sylven Landesberg triple kept Maccabi comfortable ahead, 20-35. Clyburn scored half the points in an 8-0 Darussafaka run that narrowed the gap to 9, but the difference ballooned again through back-to-back threes by Goudelock and Smith. Sonny Weems connected from downtown to give Maccabi its biggest lead, 29-48, before Clyburn made it 31-48 at the break. A 6-0 spurt over the first three minutes of the second half gave Darussafaka hope as Maccabi called timeout. Wilbekin nailed a three and Harangody scored inside to narrow the gap to 49-53. The teams then traded baskets for several minutes before Wilbekin’s third three and Anderson’s put-back made it a 1-point game. Weems’s drive left Maccabi ahead 58-61 through three quarters. Wilbekin tied it with the first shot of the fourth quarter and Wanamaker free throws gave Darussafaka its first lead since the first quarter. Free throws by Rudd gave Maccabi a 67-68 edge and Iverson added to it. The lead switched hands on three straight threes from Anderson, Goudelock and Harangody to make it 75-73. Iverson tied it from the line, but the next two baskets came from the hosts. Smith pulled Maccabi to within 79-78, however a deep three by Wilbekin with 32.7 seconds remaining put Darussafaka in control and after a block by Clyburn and free throws by Wanamaker and Wilbekin, Darussafaka celebrated victory.