Basketball: Israeli clubs fall to defeat in Europe

Hapoel Jerusalem loses to Turow Zgorzelec 78-68, and Hapoel Galil Elyon falls to Benetton Fribourg 85-65.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Jerusalem 224.88 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Hapoel Jerusalem 224.88
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Hapoel Jerusalem is still searching for its first ULEB Cup road win of the season, after losing 78-68 to Turow Zgorzelec on Tuesday night. Hapoel Galil Elyon fell to an embarrassing 85-65 defeat to Swiss champion Benetton Fribourg at Kfar Blum, completing a miserable night for Israeli basketball. Zgorzelec's suffocating defense held Jerusalem's previously high scoring offense to just 68 points and helped the Polish team seize control of the game with a 25-12 third quarter. The Poles (4-1) victory gives them sole possession of first place in Group I, leapfrogging Jerusalem, which is now 3-2 in the competition. David Logan terrorized the Hapoel defense from every point on the floor, scoring 34 points, hitting eight of 11 from two point range and five of nine from beyond the arc. Timmy Bowers led Jerusalem with 17 points and six rebounds, with Sharon Sason adding 15 points. Jamie Arnold, who was the ULEB Cup's player of the week in the last two weeks, scored 14 points, but failed to grab a single rebound. Dragisa Drobnjak scored the first points of the game and the lead would exchange hands numerous times in the first quarter. Jerusalem scored the final five points of the period and Bowers' basket gave the visitors a 19-15 lead after 10 minutes. Shason's jumper at the start of the second quarter capped an 8-0 Hapoel run, extending his team's lead to eight points (23-15). The comfortable margin, however, would not last for long as Logan erased almost all of Zgorzelec's deficit with two three-pointers within 10 seconds. The American stole the ball after hitting his first basket from beyond the arc and buried a second straight three to single handedly bring his team back within touching distance. Jerusalem, however, managed to open a seven point cushion by the interval (37-30), with Bowers capping his excellent half with a buzzer beating three. The hosts scored the first six points of the second half and Logan's steal and lay-up four minutes into the game tied the score at 40-40. The Poles continued to surge ahead as the quarter progressed and a Slobodan Ljubotina basket capped a 19-5 Zgorzelec run to start the half, giving the side a 49-42 lead. Hapoel trailed 55-49 after three periods, but to its fans disappointment matters only continued to deteriorate. Logan gave his team its first double-digit lead at the start of the fourth quarter (59-49) and Drobnjak secured the hosts win soon after when he extended the margin to 12 points (71-59). Hapoel Galil Elyon 65, Benetton Fribourg 85 Galil (1-4) raced to a 10-2 lead against the Swiss (3-2) and was ahead 19-15 after the first period. The visitors, however, would lead at the break after turning the game on its head with a 27-14 second quarter. Despite Jai Lewis and Clif Brown combining for 29 points for the hosts, Galil trailed 42-33 at halftime against a supposedly inferior side. Hapoel lost any chance of mounting a comeback after only managing to score nine points in the third quarter and the visitors opened a 58-42 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game to clinch an easy win. Tresor Quidome led six Fribourg players in double-figures, scoring 20 points. Pascal David-Perrier registered the first road triple-double in ULEB Cup history, scoring 13 points, taking 10 rebounds and passing 10 assists. Lewis scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Hapoel, with Brown adding 15 points and seven rebounds.