Preseason Hoops: Mac TA loses to CSKA in final repeat

Coach Birenboim admits 'we've still got plenty of work to do' after 76-59 defeat.

By ALLON SINAI
maccabi 224.88 (photo credit: Asaf kliger)
maccabi 224.88
(photo credit: Asaf kliger)
The new Maccabi Tel Aviv got a taste of what it will be coming up against this season in a 76-59 defeat to European Champion CSKA Moscow in the Aleksandr Gomelsky Cup in Russia on Wednesday. The preseason matchup was a repeat of last season's Euroleague final, which CSKAwon 91-77. Maccabi took a 42-37 lead into the second half, but only scored 17 points after the break and gave new coach Effi Birenboim plenty to think about ahead of the start of the Euroleague season in less than a month. "We came out of the dressing room very flat and we've still got plenty of work to do on our team chemistry," said Birenboim. "We're learning from every game we play and facing Europe's top teams in this tournament will help us down the line." Carlos Arroyo scored 13 points for Maccabi, which finished the Gomelsky Cup in last position following its defeat to CSKA, and to Panathinaikos on Monday. "It's still early in the season and we didn't play our game tonight," Arroyo said. "We're happy this is just a training game." Rodney White, making his first appearance for Maccabi, was the team's only other player to score in double-figures, contributing 12 points. Next up for Maccabi is the Ljubljana tournament in Slovenia. On Friday, the side will face Panathinaikos, a day later it will play Fenerbahce/Ulker and on Sunday comes up against host Olimpija Ljubljana. The first period of Wednesday's game was extremely tight and four straight points by White tied the score at 11-11. An Arroyo three-pointer gave the visitors their first lead of the night (14-13), but CSKA quickly regained the advantage and was ahead 21-20 after 10 minutes. Tel Aviv played its best basketball of the encounter in the second quarter and Arroyo's and Jason Williams' baskets from beyond the arc opened a 38-32 margin. Omri Casspi's basket to end the first half gave Maccabi a 42-37 lead at the interval, but a poor start to the second half ended any hope Birenboim may have had of leaving Moscow with a victory. By the time Arroyo scored Maccabi's first points of the second half four minutes into the period, CSKA had already opened a nine-point margin and the gap only continued to grow. Terence Morris, who left Maccabi for Moscow in the summer, gave the hosts a 58-45 gap midway through the quarter and the Russians had a comfortable 63-49 lead with 10 minutes to play thanks to their 26-7 third period. Erazem Lorbek's (22 points) three at the beginning of the fourth quarter confirmed that Maccabi may was heding for a second defeat of the week and CSKA cruised to an easy win.