A Bobby Dixon shot in the dying seconds got Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir back to its winning ways, lifting it over Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem 81-80 on Wednesday. Win improved Karsiyaka to 4-1, to at least a share of the lead in Group E, while Hapoel drops to 3-2. The hosts took control with a 15-3 run in the second quarter for 48-34 halftime lead, but Hapoel rallied after the break, finally catching up with 5 minutes to go, and taking 70-73 lead on Yotam Halperin's three-pointer. But the hosts turned once again to its unstoppable combination of Bobby Dixon and Esteban Batista, who scored all the remaining points, including Dixon's game-winning jumper in the last second. Dixon finished with 22 points and 8 assists to pace the winners, while Batista collected 18 points plus 8 rebounds. Mutlu Demir scored 13 for the hosts in victory. Halperin led Hapoel with 19 points, Josh Duncan scored 14, Ronald Dupree 13, and Derwin Kitchen had 10 points plus 9 rebounds.
Hapoel grabbed control early with couple of three-pointers from Halperin, that in addition to the buckets from Yaniv Green and a basket-plus-foul from Dupree made it 9-17. Dixon was the leading figure of the first quarter, however, scoring two triples and a total of 11 points for the hosts who also made 10 of 12 free throws in the final 2 minutes of the first quarter to grab 25-22 advantage. The two teams traded leads until Jon Diebler hit a three-pointer midway through the second quarter for 32-29. Even though Josh Duncan nailed one from downtown on the other end, couple of layups from Batista, plus a basket-plus-foul and a triple from Leo Lyons, lifted Karsiyaka to a double digit margin, before Batista capped the half with couple more layups for 48-34 halftime lead. The visitors got going after the break through Artsiom Parakhouski, Dupree and Halperin's three-pointer, but Karsiyaka kept them at bay with Dixon, Batista and Diebler for 58-45. However, a triple from Duncan and a jumper from Green cut the deficit, and with second-chance points from Derwin Kitchen and Halperin, Hapoel got to 64-57 after three quarters. Visitors' run continued in the fourth, with contributions from Duncan and Parakhouski, before fastbreak layups from Dupree and Kitchen tied it at 68-68 midway through the fourth. While limiting the hosts to only two field goals in more than 6 minutes, a jumper from Dupree and a three-pointer from Halperin gave Hapoel 70-73. But Dixon was there for the hosts, converting a basket-plus-fouls, and feeding Batista inside twice, getting the hosts back in front 77-76. After Dixon and Duncan each hit a pair of free throws, Halperin stole a ball for Kitchen's fastbreak layup and 79-80 with 10 seconds to go, but there was enough time for Dixon to hit for victory.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Eurocupbasketball.com