Maccabi Bazan Haifa grabbed its first-ever Eurocup win by rallying from a double-digit margin to edge MZT Skopje Aerodrom 83-86 in the F.Y.R. of Macedonia capital on Tuesday. Haifa improved to 1-1 in Group G while Skopje dropped to 0-2. Ike Ofoegbu led 5 Haifa players in double digits with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Donta Smith added 15 points, Moran Roth had 13, Brian Randle got 12 while David Cubillan got 11 and 6 steals for the winners. Stefan Sinovec and Todor Gecevski led Skopje with 17 points apiece. Alexandar Kostoski added 15 while Gjorgji Cekovski got 12 for the hosts, which led 29-18 late in the first quarter. Skopje led for the best part of the game, as a buzzer-beating triple by Cekovski gave his team a 47-39 margin and the hosts kept a 67-62 lead after 30 minutes. Roth tired the game, 76-76, with 6 minutes left but Skopje entered the final 60 seconds with an 83-82 edge. Ofoegbu made 4-of-4 free throws in crunch time and Haifa's good defense did the rest.

Gecevski shined in the early going and got some help from Sinovec to give Skopje a 9-5 lead. Dagan Yizvori and Ido Kozikaro stepped up for Haifa but three-pointers by Sinovec, Gorjan Markovski and Nikola Otasevic boosted the hosts' lead to 22-14. A triple by Ognen Stojanovski made it a double-digit game, 29-18, but Smith answered from downtown to keep Haifa within 29-21 after 10 minutes. Cubillan joined the three-point shootout and Ofoegbu brought Haifa a bit closer, 31-26. Sinovec and Gecevski, however, allowed Skopje to restore a double-digit edge, 40-30. Randle and Cubillan allowed Haifa to get within 44-39 but a buzzer-beating triple by Cekovski fixed the halftime score at 47-39. Moran Roth and Randle fueled a 0-7 run that made it a one-point game, 47-46, right after the break. Markovski and Gecevski made Skopje get some fresh air, 56-50. Haifa struggled to score midway through the third quarter and a three-pointer by Kostoski restored a double-digit Skopje lead, 61-51. Yivzori stepped up with 4 key points and a three-pointer by Smith brought Haifa within 67-62 at the end of the third quarter. Yivzori kept pacing Haifa and Roth followed a triple with a big basket which tied it at 76-76 with less than 6 minutes left. Haifa found a new go-to guy in Ofoegbu, who have the guests its first lead, 81-82, with 1:50 left. Skopje kept missing shots in crunch time while Ofoegbu made 4-of-4 foul shots for a 83-86 Haifa lead with 2.6 seconds to go. Skopje could not score in the game's final possession.