Halperin’s three at buzzer gives Hapoel slim victory

Yotam Halperin’s last-second three-pointer proved to be the difference as Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem edged Nizhny Novgorod 81-78 at Goldberg Arena in the Israeli capital in the first leg of their Eurocup Quarterfinals series. Halperin finished with 17 points and 7 assists for the home team in a game that was close throughout; neither team led by more than 6 the entire night. The series will conclude next week in Russia, where Nizhny must win by at least 4 to claim a berth in the semifinals. Art Parakhouski dominated for the hosts inside with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 8 rebounds and a Eurocup Quarterfinals record 5 blocks. Derwin Kitchen added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and Ronald Dupree and Josh Duncan netted 12 points apiece. Primoz Brzec and former Hapoel forward Dijon Thompson each recorded 21 points and 8 rebounds for Nizhny. Thompson also amassed 4 steals. Taylor Rochestie helped his team survive a late Hapoel rally with 10 fourth quarter points. he finished with 13 points and 6 assists.

Jerusalem started strong with a trio of baskets in fastbreak by Kitchen, Dupree and Parakhouski plus a pair of blocks by Parakhouski. Brzec got Nizhny on the scoreboard after two minutes with a basket-plus-foul on the offensive glass. A pull-up triple from Halperin gave the hosts a 5-10 lead midway through the first quarter. Brzec’s third basket kept Nizhny close. Thompson’s mid-range jumper made it 12-9 before Dupree soared for a slam at the other end. However a three-point play by Rochestie and a Thompson layup in transition closed the difference to 1. Parakhouski scored inside, but a Vadim Panin three tied the game at 17-17. Thompson soon gave the visitors their first lead, 19-22, with a three from the corner. A Parakhouski layup layup at the buzzer made it 21-22 after 10 minutes. A three by Kitchen put the hosts back in front, 26-24, but a Panin triple gave Nizhny an edge. Bracey Wright’s unsportsmanlike foul on Vladimir Ivlev allowed the visitors to move in front 30-33. Yaniv Green scored twice and came up with a steal to give Hapoel control again. A Dimitriy Khvostov three and Brezec free throws left Nizhny up 36-40 at the break.

A Khvostov jumper was answered by a Parakhouski layup early in the second half. After Brezec sank a long jumper, Halperin nailed a three to revive the Jerusalem faithful. However a pair of baskets by Thompson – the second a three-quarter court alley-oop from Semen Antonov – gave Nizhny a 6-point lead. Dupree halved the deficit with a basket-plus-foul. Then free throws from Dupree and Halperin – the last 1 for a technical foul by Antonov – tied the game at 48-48. A three-point play from Parakhouski put Hapoel in front briefly. The lead switched hands a number of times in the following minutes. Josh Duncan free throws gave Hapoel a 57-56 lead through three quarters. Thompson scored twice to start the fourth quarter before Halperin free throws knotted the score. Panin fouled out, but his replacement Evgeny Baburin put Nizhny up 60-64. Rochestie and Kitchen traded threes. Parakhouski threw down a monster slam, but another Rochestie triple made it 67-72 with five minutes to go. Duncan sank a three from the corner and Kitchen made it 73-74 from the line. A second Duncan three tied the game with two and a half minutes remaining. Rochestie gave Nizhny a lead with a minute remaining, but after Kitchen tied it, Thompson missed from downtown on the visitors’ final possession and Halperin’s three at the buzzer left Hapoel with the victory.