Aris BSA 2003 held off a furious late Hapoel Jerusalem rally for a tough 81-77 win in Group C on Tuesday evening. The visitors stormed back from 17 down in the third quarter to tie the score twice in the fourth quarter, but were unable to take the lead. Aris took over first place in the group with a 2-0 record before heading to Lithuania to face BC Siauliai next week. Hapoel dropped to 1-1 and hosts KK Zadar in Week 3. Aris seemed to have the game won after a 15-0 second-quarter run gave the hosts a 48-35 halftime lead. The duo of Yuval Naimy and Pooh Jeter carried the visitors from the brink of a blowout to a near-historic road comeback. Juan Dixon paced the Aris attack with 20 points and 5 assists – including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds remaining. Andy Betts added 13 points for the winners, Nikos Hatzivrettas scored 12, Michalis Kakiouzis had 11 points and 7 rebounds and Jeremy Richardson netted 10. Jeter led Jerusalem with 19 points, Naimy scored 18 – including the baskets that tied the score at 74-74 and 77-77 – and Tre Simmons carried the visitors early and finished with 17 points.

Aris jumped on top early as Richardson and Kakiouzis connected from downtown for a 6-2 lead. Simmons took charge for the visitors with a jumper and a three-pointer to make it 8-7. Hapoel had no answer inside for Betts and soon Hatzivrettas struck from behind the arc to increase Aris’s cushion to 15-9. After a Jerusalem timeout, Simmons penetrated for a basket and Brandon Hunter sank free throws to bring Hapoel back. The visitors went with a smaller lineup, subbing big man Kevinn Pinkney out for point guard Jeter and it worked as Hapoel immediately tied the score at 17-17. Betts countered inside with a pair of baskets – including a two-handed power slam – but Naimy’s triple kept it close. Richardson beat the buzzer with a jumper to make it 25-22 after 10 minutes. Uri Kokia came off the bench to score twice for Jerusalem and despite a Dixon triple, Jeter knotted the score at 28-28. Dixon fed Betts inside and then scored himself as Aris went ahead again. The hosts continued to overpower Hapoel as Kakiouzis scored in transition and Aaron Miles added 2 free throws for an 8-point advantage. Miles, Hatzivrettas and Dimos Dikoudis tacked on more free throws as the Aris charge reached 15 unanswered points before Simmons ended a five-minute Hapoel scoring drought. Hatzivrettas sank another triple to establish Aris’s authority and Dijon Thompson’s free throw made it 48-35 at the break.

Dixon took charge for Aris at the onset of the third quarter, however Sharon Shason showed that Hapoel would not quit. Dixon and Miles upped the lead to 16 before Jeter struck from downtown. Dixon fed Betts to make it 59-42 to the delight of the local fans, but Hapoel had one more run in it. Steals by Naimy and Kokia led to a pair of Jeter baskets and after an Aris timeout, Simmons ended a 0-8 spurt to carry Hapoel back within single digits. Kakiouzis scored on the offensive glass and Dixon fired in another three, but Shason also connected from downtown to make it 64-53 heading into the fourth quarter. Simmons matched Hatzivrettas shot for shot to keep Hapoel close early in the deciding period. Kokia narrowed the more and Jeter made it 69-62 with a pair of free throws. Jeter further cut the Hapoel deficit to 5 with a three from the corner with five-and-a-half minutes left. Betts scored from the line for Aris, but Jeter came right back and drilled his third triple of the night to keep Aris on its heels. The hosts went to the trusty Betts inside again, but he was fouled and this time missed both free throws, allowing Naimy to bring Hapoel within 1 with a fast break layup. Dixon stepped up for Aris with a runner with just over two minutes remaining only to see Naimy complete the Hapoel comeback with a basket-plus-foul that knotted the score at 74-74. Richardson answered with a clutch triple, but Naimy marched through the Aris defense to tie the score again at 77-77 with 38 seconds left. Dixon hit a long jumper with 22 seconds left to put Aris up 2. Hapoel turned to Jeter, who missed with a chance to force overtime and Miles iced the game with a pair of free throws.