Lottomatica Roma routed Maccabi Electra 82-69

Lottomatica Roma beat Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 82-69 to bow out of the 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague season with a victory in front of its home fans while also snapping a five-game losing streak to the Israeli powerhouse for its first win over Maccabi since January 2007. Darius Washington scored 16 points while Luigi Datome and Nemanja Gordic each scored 14 points with Datome adding 10 rebounds and Gordic also dishing 5 assists. Ali Traore had 13 points and Vladimir Dasic added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals as Roma improved to 2-4 in Group F of the Top 16. Maccabi committed 21 turnovers and scored just 6 points in the third quarter to finish 3-3 in the group and in second place. Lior Eliyahu and Doron Perkins each tallied 14 points in a losing effort for Maccabi. No other player scored more than 7 for Maccabi.

Sofoklis Schortsanitis got Maccabi on the scoreboard first with 2 free throws and an inside lay-in with Chuck Eidson finishing the 0-7 run with a triple from the left wing. Washington finally scored for Roma with a break-away lay-up after three minutes of action. Datome nailed a three-ball from the right corner and Gordic converted a three-point play to bring Lottomatica within 8-11. Perkins answered with a trey of his own over the Lottomatica zone defense for an 8-14 lead. Dasic continued Roma’s fine outside shooting with a triple from the right side and the deficit was down to 14-15 after Washington’s steal and three-point play. Roma knotted the game on Traore’s lefty hook in the lane to make it 16-16. And Lottomatica grabbed its first lead on Charles Smith’s triple from the left. And the advantage was 21-17 after one period on Smith’s jumper from the left corner at the buzzer. Lottomatica was helped by 9 turnovers by Maccabi.

Traore opened the second quarter with an inside basket to push the margin to 23-17. And it was still six points following Dasic’s steal and dunk to make it 25-19. Gordic and Datome nailed three-pointers from either side as the Lottomatica offense was rolling – leading 33-25. And the Roma cushion was still eight points on Traore’s hook to make it 35-27. Maccabi worked harder on its defense though it allowed Gordic to knock down another long ball for a 38-31 advantage. Jeremy Pargo grabbed his own missed shot and then moved out to nail a three-pointer for a 38-36 game, sparking a Roma time-out. But Pargo dropped a triple from nearly the same spot on Maccabi’s first possession after the time-out to push Maccabi ahead 38-39 – which would prove to be the guests’ last lead of the game. Alessandro Tonolli’s jumper from the left corner restored Lottomatica’s three-point lead 42-39 before Guy Pnini knocked down a three from the right corner as the teams went into the locker rooms deadlocked at 42-42.

Dasic’s inside lay-up started the second half and Datome nailed a triple and a jumper from the right side to push the Roma lead to 49-42. Eliyahu scored inside to finally get Maccabi on the board in the third quarter – after more than five minutes of action. Another Eliyahu basket kept the guests within 52-46. Washington finished a fast break off Smith’s steal with a lay-up and then Dasic knocked down a three-pointer to push the Roma lead into double digits – 57-46. Eliayhu scored his third basket – accounting for all six of Maccabi’s third quarter points – to cut the margin to 57-48. But Datome tossed in a three-ball from well beyond half court for a 60-48 Roma advantage.

Traore opened the final quarter with a lay-up and three-point play for a 63-48 lead. The tough Roma defense continued after the strong third quarter and Washington drove for a lay-up for a 16-point gap – 66-50. Perkins then made his first of two free throws, but Datome tipped the second free throw into his own basket for a 66-53 deficit. Perkins nailed a long three from the left side to trim the gap to 68-56 with five minutes to play. Maccabi however could not get any closer than 13 points the rest of the way.