Aris BSA 2003 took the big showdown between undefeated teams in Group D by edging Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 83-92 in Israel on Tuesday. Aris registered its first road win and improved to 2-0 to lead the Group D standings while Gilboa/Galil dropped to 1-1. PJ Tucker and Christos Tapoutos led the winners with 24 points apiece. Tucker added 10 rebounds for a double-double while Tapoutos sank 9-of-12 two-pointers and 2-of-2 triples. Nikos Hatzivrettas added 19 points for Aris. Jack McClinton led Gilboa/Galil with 20 points. Warren Carter added 14, Leo Lyons had 13 while Rodney Green and Gal Mekel each had 10 for the hosts, that rallied from a double-digit deficit to get a 68-63 edge early in the fourth quarter. Tapoutos and Tucker stepped up for Aris and the guests found a go-to guy in Hatzivrettas, who downed two critical triples and added a key basket in crunch time to lead the guests to a pivotal, well-deserved win.

Tapoutos got Aris going with consecutive baskets but Lyons and Tyler Wilkerson helped Gilboa/Galil to tie it at 4-4. Bryant Dunston shined with a dunk and Tapoutos downed a three-pointer for a 4-9 Aris lead. Mekel sank a jumper and found Lyons for a shot from downtown that tied it at 9-9. Aris found a go-to guy in Tucker, who had 6 points in a 0-8 run that boosted the guests' margin to 9-17. McClinton tried to change things with a three-pointer but Hatzivrettas answered from downtown to keep Aris way ahead, 12-20. A put-back basket by Dunston made it a double-digit game, 12-22, after 10 minutes. Carter and Kostas Sloukas traded three-pointers early in the second quarter, as Gilboa/Galil tried to speed up his offense. Dagan Yizvori hit a jumper and Ido Kozikaro found his first points but an outstanding Tucker kept Aris way ahead, 19-29. Gilboa/Galil found its new scoring reference in Green, who stepped up with 6 answered points to get his team within 28-32. Kostas Charalampidis scored off a steal and Tapoutos dunked it but a put-back layup by Kozikaro got Gilboa/Galil within 30-36. Tucker scored again but Lyons had 4 points in a 6-0 run that got the hosts within 36-38 at halftime.

Sloukas split free throws immediately after the break and Carter got Gilboa/Galil even closer, 38-39. Aris used a 0-7 run highlighted by Tucker's three-point play to get some fresh air at 38-46. McClinton downed a bomb from downtown and Carter bettered Tapoutos' layup with a three-point play to get the hosts within 44-48. Hatzivrettas silenced the crowd with a three-pointer and matched Green's free throws with a layup to keep Aris out of trouble, 46-53. McClinton kept pacing Gilboa/Galil with back-to-back triples and a layup by Lyons brought the hosts as close as 54-55. A triple by Yizvori soon tied it at 59-59. Tucker sank a jumper but a shot by Carter and a layup by Lyons completed Gilboa/Galil's comeback, 63-61, after 30 minutes. McClinton nailed his sixth three-pointer and a jumper by Mekel gave Galil a 68-63 edge. Tapoutos scored again and improved Wilkerson's dunk with a triple to get Aris as close as 70-68. A three-point play by Dunston put Aris back ahead at 70-71. Carter sank a jumper but Yizvori and Hatzivrettas traded three-pointer for a 75-74 score. Aris needed a go-to guy and Sloukas stepped up with 5 points in a 0-7 run that gave his team a 77-81 edge. Hatzivrettas joined a three-point shootout but Mekel and McClinton kept Gilboa/Galil alive, 81-84, with under 2 minutes left. Back-to-back baskets by Tapoutos and Hatzivrettas sealed the outcome, 81-88, allowing Aris to seal a very important road win.