Jerusalem rocks Olimpija to clinch first place in Group M

Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem clinched a Eurocup Eighthfinals spot and first place in Group M Wednesday with an 86-77 home win over Union Olimpija Ljubljana. Josh Duncan led six Jerusalem scorers in double figures with 21 points and 9 rebounds as Jerusalem improved to 4-1 in Last 16 Group M. The club from the Israeli capital had to fend off a late Olimpija rally; Alex Stephenson brought the visitors within 2 in the fourth quarters, but a 10-1 Hapoel run wrapped up the win. Jerusalem’s sixth straight home win carried the team to the round of 16 for the first time since it reached the 2010 quarterfinals. Art Parakhouski added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, Lior Eliyahu also scored 14, Bracey Wright netted 13, Yotam Halperin amassed 10 points and 9 assists and Ronald Dupree finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Hapoel outrebounded Olimpija 47-35. Nebojsa Joksimovic led Olimpija with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Stephenson added 18 and Deividas Gailius scored 17.

The game was close early with Stephenson’s put-back dunk tying the score at 12-12. A Parakhouski slam helped the hosts take control and Duncan scored 5 points to give Hapoel a 24-16 lead after 10 minutes. Duncan added free throws to establish a double-digit margin. Gailius kept Olimpija in the picture, but a three-point play from Duncan and a pair of Eliyahu baskets suppressed the visitors’ attempts. Dupree put Jerusalem ahead 38-22 with a pair of free throws midway through the second quarter. Joksimovic helped Olimpija draw back within 9, but Hapoel raced back to a 15-point edge before Stephenson settled the halftime score at 46-35.

Gailius looked to spark Olimpija after the break, but back-to-back threes by Halperin and Wright allowed Hapoel to match its largest lead from the first half, 56-40. A pair of Jaka Brodnik threes sparked Olimpija and Stephenson added two scores in the paint to close the gap to 6. Duncan and Luka Rupnik exchanged free throws to end the third quarter at 68-62. Stephenson turned the pressure up with a pair of baskets on the offensive glass to bring his team within 74-72. Aided by the vocal Jerusalem crowd, Hapoel regrouped and scored the next 6 points – 4 of which came from free throws. After Stephenson split free throws, baskets by Wright and Eliyahu capped a 10-1 run that essentially iced the game.