Hap J’lem jumps back into first place by beating Ness Ziona

A remarkable shooting performance from three-point range helped Hapoel Jerusalem claim a 106-91 victory over Ironi Ness Ziona at Malha Arena on Sunday night, extending its BSL winning streak to 11 games.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Jerusalem guard Derwin Kitchen. (photo credit: ASAF KLIGER)
Hapoel Jerusalem guard Derwin Kitchen.
(photo credit: ASAF KLIGER)
A remarkable shooting performance from three-point range helped Hapoel Jerusalem claim a 106-91 victory over Ironi Ness Ziona at Malha Arena on Sunday night, extending its BSL winning streak to 11 games.
Jerusalem hit 16-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc to move back into sole possession of first place in the BSL standings, with Yotam Halperin accounting for seven of the three-pointers, ending the night with 29 points, as well as nine assists.
The Israeli guard equaled his career-high in the BSL, which he set back in the 2006/07 season while playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv against Jerusalem.
Bracey Wright, Josh Duncan and Derwin Kitchen each added 16 points for Jerusalem (14-3), which avenged its 28-point thrashing at the hands of Ness Ziona almost three months ago.
Since that loss on November 11, Jerusalem has gone undefeated in the BSL, but it had to come back from a poor defensive display in the first half on Sunday to extend its run.
Ness Ziona (9-8), which was led by Diamon Simpson’s 19 points, held a seven-point lead at the break after scoring 54 points in the first half. However, the visitors found themselves in a deep hole after being blitzed in the first five minutes of the second half.
Jerusalem went on a 21-2 run to seize complete control (68- 56) on the way to another victory and its highest point total of the campaign.
In other basketball news, the draw for the EuroBasket 2015 qualifiers will be held in Barcelona on Monday.
Israel will be drawn from the second seeding pot and will be placed in a group with three or two other teams. The seven group winners will advance directly to the tournament, with the six best second-placed finishers to also progress to the European Championships in Ukraine.
The 13 teams to qualify will be joined in the tournament by the 11 European sides who will take part in this summer’s World Championships and will not be part of Monday’s draw.
The qualifiers will be played later this year, between August 10 and 27.